Bruce’s current transfer budget is a stark contrast to the ones he have had at his previous clubs.
He told the Sunday Sun: “Once it was made plain that Niall wanted me, the more I thought about it and when I first met him, I thought: ‘Bloody Hell – I’ve got to take this!’
“It’s a wonderful opportunity and something which gives me the chance to go for the calibre of player I’ve never been able to go for before.
“I’ve always tried and scrimped and scraped. I remember my first year at Birmingham where my total budget was £5m – and that included wages!
“I drove away from a Birmingham board meeting and thought, ‘Where am I going to start with that?’ Now, all of a sudden, I have a much healthier budget and it’s a different challenge. Can I go into a different realm?”
