Steve Bruce has shared his thoughts on West Bromwich Albion‘s transfer business so far this summer, having pulled off the free signings of John Swift and Jed Wallace.
What’s the word?
As per a report from Birmingham Mail, the Baggies manager reacted to his club’s summer business thus far, revealing that he tried to sign Wallace a couple of times before and was not able to get him.
WBA fans! Pleased with this window so far?
As relayed in the report, Bruce said of the recent signings of Wallace and Swift: “I think I’ve tried to buy Jed twice before and not been able to get him. He’s a very good player, and so is Swift. They’ve added that little bit of quality, which is what we needed at the top end of the pitch.”
The Albion boss went into further detail on the signing of Swift, saying: “Can I reveal a secret now? He was at our game on the last day of the season. That’s how long ago we were planning. I shouldn’t really say that, but there you go, if I get into trouble, so be it.
“We identified those two (Swift and Wallace) in particular as arguably the stand-out free transfers in the division. We wanted to try and improve our creativity to score a goal, and add a bit of pace, and both of them have that in abundance.”
Supporters will be buzzing
The signings of both Swift and Wallace on free transfers represented major victories in themselves, and the recent admission from Bruce could instil a greater level of confidence within the Baggies’ fan base.
The Albion manager has said that the duo were long-term targets for West Brom, and the signing of both players for nothing reflects an astuteness within The Hawthorns hierarchy, whilst signalling the club’s intent to achieve promotion back to the Premier League this season.
West Brom were the seventh-lowest scorers in the Championship in the season just gone, so Wallace’s total of 18 attacking returns and Swift’s sum of 24 from that campaign would suggest that the could take Bruce’s team to the next level if they can both sustain a similar output for their new club in 2022/23.
In other news: Alan Nixon reveals West Brom have third summer signing “in sights”, supporters will be buzzing
