Official: Craig Gardner completes Sunderland switch from Birmingham

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Craig Gardner has become the latest player to sign for Sunderland.

The club have confirmed that the midfielder has joined from Birmingham for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract.

The move comes within 24 hours of the signings of strikers Connor Wickham and Ji Dong-Won.

Gardner impressed last season despite his side’s relegation from the Premier League, having made the move across the city from rivals Aston Villa last summer.

The versatile central midfielder scored 10 goals during the 2010-11 season, including a long-range effort against the Black Cats at St Andrew’s, and finished as the club’s top scorer.

Gardner, a former England Under-21 international, prefers a central position but is capable of filling in on the right flank of midfield or defence.

And he now faces the task of slotting into the hole in the midfield left by Jordan Henderson, who recently joined Liverpool.

Gardner joins Sebastian Larsson in making the switch from Birmingham to the Stadium of Light this summer.