Former Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is reportedly set for a return to the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday needing to replace Jos Luhukay.
If Sheffield Wednesday wanted to keep the seemingly inevitable appoint of Steve Bruce quiet, the presence of his long-standing assistants Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence at Hillsborough during the 1-0 win against Preston on Saturday rather gave the game away.
According to The Star, Wednesday are close to coming to an agreement with Bruce and he could be back in management later this week, just two months after he was sacked by Aston Villa.
But is Bruce the right man to replace Jos Luhukay at an underperforming Sheffield Wednesday team?
Yes, the affable Geordie might have failed to lead an expensively assembled Aston Villa squad to promotion but he has a proven track record in the Championship, having earned promotion four times – twice each with Hull and Birmingham.
And, speaking to the EFL on Quest (23 December, 9pm), former West Ham captain Nigel Reo-Coker has given his verdict on the appointment.
“Yeah definitely for a club like Wednesday, if you’re serious about promotion then Steve Bruce is the right man. He’s got a vast knowledge of the league, he’s got teams up before and the career that he’s had speaks for itself,” Reo-Coker said.
“He’s got a lot of contacts in the footballing world, he’ll be able to get the right players in. He can put a team together.”
Whether Bruce will have any money to spend in order to shape this squad in his own image remains to be seen. Funds are likely to be limited in January, meaning the former Wigan and Sunderland boss might have to make do with what Luhukay left behind.
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