Newcastle hope to secure Steve Bruce appointment
The former Sunderland boss is in line to replace Rafael Benitez in the St James’ Park hotseat.
Newcastle are hoping to appointing Sheffield Wednesday boss Steve Bruce as their new manager with the start of the new Premier League season just a month away.
PA understands the two clubs spent Thursday attempting to reach an agreement over compensation with Bruce having indicated he wanted to talk to the club he supported as a boy.
The Magpies are keen to strike a deal for the 58-year-old as soon as possible, with the summer transfer window running down fast and the squad due to depart for the Premier League Asia Trophy in China on Saturday.
Academy coaches Ben Dawson and Neil Redfearn have taken charge of the first few days of pre-season training and are on standby to travel to the Far East if the club does not have a new first-team boss in place in time.
News of Bruce’s impending arrival has been met with a distinctly mixed response on Tyneside, with fans still angry at Rafael Benitez’s exit less than impressed at his candidacy and the fact that the club had already been rejected by former boss Sam Allardyce.
Bruce has won promotion to the Premier League on four occasions during a managerial career which has taken him from Sheffield United to Huddersfield, Crystal Palace, Birmingham, Wigan, Sunderland, Hull and Aston Villa.
The Corbridge-born former Manchester United defender’s links to Wearside may not endear him to the Toon Army, although whoever replaces Benitez faces an intensely difficult task whatever their background.
And the new boss will have to do so within the restrictions which prompted Benitez to call time on his spell at St James’ Park.
