Bruce denies Man City raid
Sunderland are NOT in the market for Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland.
And claims that the Black Cats are pursuing the signature of Portsmouth striker John Utaka are as rubbish now as they were a fortnight ago when Bruce dismissed them as: "Absolute rubbish."
It has been another interesting summer for wild transfer speculation in the media's "24 hour news" world, where stories can emerge from nothing and take legs before eventually being outed as nonsense.
But the Echo can shed some light on Bruce's transfer policy as he and chairman Niall Quinn work hard to improve the squad before the August transfer deadline expires.
And the reality is that Sundeland are marshalling their resources sensibly and looking to put the club on a prudent financial footing after several years of enormous spending.
Bruce said of Ireland: "Terrific player and someone that anybody would be interested in.
"But, like Craig Bellamy at City, he'd be a very expensive proposition, both in terms of wages and a transfer fee, and we have to prioritise.
"I've said before and I'll say again that I'm reasonably comfortable with our strength in midfield, despite losing Lorik Cana.
"I've got Lee Cattermole and Cristian Riveros who could be a great pairing with their abilities. But I've also got Jordan Henderson and Kieran Richardson who can play there and do a great job.
"We've got Jack Colback coming through, who has looked great in pre-season, and a little further down the line, we should have David Meyler coming back from injury and Meyler really excited me with his contibution when he was injury-free last season.
"So I think I'm pretty well served in central midfield. Ireland's an excellent player, but we are looking to strengthen elsewhere."
Utaka has been quoted suggesting Fulham, Sunderland and Bolton, as well as various German clubs, are competing for his signature.
But Bruce has never been in for any of the Portsmouth players he has been linked with this summer.
He told the Echo: "I think there's an agent down there who keeps linking me with Portsmouth players. I think he just throws our name into the mix, but there's no truth in them at all."
Other players that the Echo can reveal Sunderland are NOT pursuing are: Robbie Keane, Chris Eagles, Tom Eaves of Oldham and Mikael Silvestre.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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