Jesper Gronkjaer was ready to sign for Seville

The former Chelsea star eventually moved to Birmingham in a £2.2 million deal after weeks of speculation surrounding his future.

Gronkjaer claims he had originally decided to move to Spain and was all set to board a flight to Seville to sign his contract.

However, the death of his mother - which saw him join up late with the Denmark squad for Euro 2004 - led him to reverse his decision and prolong his stay in England.

"I had the plane ticket in my hand, everything was sealed and ready, I only had to travel over there and sign," he told Berlingske.

"I am happy with the decision I took to go to Birmingham, but if what happened to my mother had not, I would now be playing in Spain.

"I decided that I did not want to travel to a country where I did not know the customs or speak the language, where I would have to find a house and a nursery and adapt to a different style of playing and training. "Those were the circumstances and I was obliged to stay."