Aston Villa fans are likely to be left extremely concerned by the transfer budget that Steve Bruce is set to be handed.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce is set to be handed a very small transfer kitty
A report in the Daily Mirror has suggested that the Aston Villa hierarchy have given Steve Bruce just £1 million to spend in the transfer market this summer due to fears about breaching financial fair play regulations, but the report adds that there is some bright news for the Villans boss.
The Mirror reports that Villa are in serious danger of breaking the rules unless they reduce their spending, and that is now set to leave Bruce with an incredibly restricted budget to work with in the coming months.
Bruce’s budget is in stark contrast to the funds that Roberto Di Matteo had to work with last summer, with the Italian being given around £50 million to spend following their relegation from the Premier League (via Telegraph), while Bruce will need to use player sales if he wants to increase his seven-figure budget.
However, there is some positive news for Bruce with the Mirror adding that Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone will be allowed to return to Villa Park for another season following his bright loan spell during the second-half of the most recent campaign.
Sam Johnstone looks set to return on loan
Though some Villa fans are yet to be fully convinced by Johnstone, news regarding Bruce’s budget arguably means that bringing the stopper back to the club is probably a wise move as his return will not hurt the kitty too much at all.
But despite that, with Villa falling some way short of reaching the Championship’s top six this term, Bruce will arguably still need to display every bit of transfer prowess he has to give the club the best chance of constructing a squad capable of battling near the summit next year.
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