Steve Bruce sends ‘brutal’ transfer message as West Brom eye summer sales

Steve Bruce insists West Bromwich Albion’s summer business is only just beginning with incomings and outgoings at the forefront of his thinking.

Albion have snapped up top targets John Swift and Jed Wallace on free transfers from Reading and Millwall respectively, and Bruce is chasing further additions. Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury and Aston Villa goal-getter Cameron Archer are understood to be among Bruce’s targets.

But the Albion head coach admits the club are looking to offload some in the transfer window. Bruce is keen to avoid stockpiling players and blocking his youngsters’ routes into the first team squad.

“There’s going to be one or two leaving because it's just starting if I’m being brutally honest,” he said. “We will see what develops.

“We’ve got to balance the squad. We don’t want too many. We’ve got to make way for some youngsters who are doing very well.

“Some of them will come away with us in pre-season and see what they can bring to the group. We’ve got to make decisions, but that’s my job to make decisions and hopefully I make the right ones.”