Aston Villa allowed defender Nathan Baker to join Bristol City, after deeming him to be expendable.
Villa sold Baker to Bristol City last week, with the centre-back set to now set to play a key role for Lee Johnson’s side.
Baker had done a stellar job at Villa last season, when included in the starting line-up, and there was some shock at his departure.
And even Bruce admits that the centre-back was not someone he was planning to sell this summer.
“Baker came out of the blue,” Bruce admitted. “When we looked at it we thought that made decent business sense.
“We let the kid go because we couldn’t offer him the game-time and, of course, that chips away at the FFP and makes a little dent that we need. I am going to have to make some big decisions if they come our way – to balance the books.”
Villa have brought in both John Terry and Christopher Samba to strengthen their defensive ranks this summer.
The claret and blues also have the likes of James Chester and Micah Richards in their first-team squad, which means that Baker was deemed expendable.
Villa are among the favourites to be promoted this campaign, but Bruce’s comments suggest that more departures are to be expected before the end of the month.
The Villans get their campaign under way tomorrow, when they take on Hull City.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
