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Steve Bruce admits “I know that’s awful from me but we haven’t the biggest of budgets…”

3 years ago
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Steve Bruce watched on as his Newcastle United team edged it 3-2 against League One Doncaster Rovers.

A decent open match to watch, players getting minutes on the pitch and the new season draws ever closer…

Only three weeks until the Premier League 2021/22 campaign and today Saturday 24 July is day 46 of the summer transfer window, not a single signing made by Newcastle United as yet.

This was Steve Bruce talking to BBC Newcastle about the transfer situation – 23 July 2021:

“We’re going to still have to be patient.

“I know that’s awful from me but we haven’t the biggest of budgets.

“In the market we’re looking at – loan market in particular – we’re going to have to let the big, big clubs go to work.

“With Joe Willock, we just have to be patient with it.

“Will Arsenal let him out? Will they sell him? – those are the questions we keep asking Arsenal.

“We’ll keep bashing away at one or two things.

“It’s been difficult for every club.

“Managers always want players but it’s very difficult when you haven’t got a lot of money.

“Midfield is the main area.

“We’re weaker than we were last year because we haven’t got Joe Willock.

“We need to keep improving but it’s very difficult with limited funds, but I’ll keep bashing away to try to improve us, little by little.

“Muto – we’re trying to find a solution (for his future).”

What it definitely shouts out to me is, it will only be loans.

Steve Bruce embarrassingly keeps talking about ‘big’ clubs, as though Newcastle United are nothing.

Arsenal have finished eighth these past two seasons and you have to go back six seasons since they were top four.

When he says waiting for the big clubs, he means that they decide who they are buying and selling, then eventually in the very closing stages of a transfer window, there will be players who might have been sold or might have been needed if incoming transfers hadn’t happened, then in the very final days you might get certain players who are then finally available as loans from the ‘big’ clubs.

Steve Bruce talks about ‘patience’ but reality is that if we are only talking about potential loans, Newcastle could be a few matches into the new season without a single new signing. As things stand, of the original 84 days available of transfer window action, after today there are only 38 of them left.

Steve Bruce does ask the question ‘Will Arsenal sell him?’ in reference to Joe Willock. So are we seriously supposed to think that if Arsenal now turn around and say, yes Joe Willock is for sale and he will cost you £25m, that Mike Ashley will then agree to buying him? How does that match up to the Head Coach repeatedly saying Newcastle United have got next to nothing in the transfer budget this summer due to Mike Ashley’s decision?

Steve Bruce declares that ‘It’s been difficult for every club’ and it may well have been BUT they have still bought players.

A quick check and for starters, the following have all spent over £20m on players this summer, some of them a lot more: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Man Utd, Norwich…

Watford have brought in at least seven players and spent well over £10m+, Burnley have spent £12m on a centre-back, Everton have brought in a few players and will definitely end up spending far more than £20m, little doubt as well that including the players they have already brought in, the likes of Wolves and West Ham will do the same.

Apart from Newcastle United, there is only Chelsea (Champions League winners), Man City (PL winners) and Spurs who haven’t made a signing yet, but that will change very soon I’m sure for those other clubs, none of who anyway will be deep in the relegation battle.

If Mike Ashley and Newcastle United are serious about Joe Willock and as Steve Bruce appears to claim, would be willing to buy him. Then absolutely nothing to stop NUFC putting that bid in of £20m for starters, maybe get him for £25m.

Otherwise, if there is in actual fact zero chance of Newcastle willing to put a bid in for Willock and just desperately hoping Arsenal suddenly say NUFC can have him on a cheap loan, then Steve Bruce has to stop misleading fans and giving them false hopes.

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