Tom Rogic in life after Celtic mystery as Steve Bruce reveals West Brom alternative path that was 'done and dusted'

West Brom manager Steve Bruce has told reporters how he believed a deal to bring former Celtic star Tom Rogic to the Midlands had gotten away from him in the summer.

Rogic left Celtic after nine years of heroic service in the summer, walking away from Celtic Park with 273 appearances, 46 goals and 16 trophies in his collection as he etched his name in Celtic folklore with a number of clutch winners in finals and Old Firm games. He departed on good terms with fans, who were grateful for the efforts of the man they dubbed 'The Wizard of Oz'.

After it was thought that Rogic would walk straight into a contract at another club, the complete opposite happened and he took his time to resolve his future. But he has found a club now in West Brom, with Bruce being the man tasked with the job of helping them bounce back to the Premier League. However, the Manchester United hero has claimed that a deal taking Rogic to the Baggies had gotten away from him in the summer, believing that he thought the maestro had gone elsewhere before an opportunity quickly arose last week in which the club were able to get a deal done.

“Earlier in the window we thought he was done and dusted somewhere else, that didn’t happen, didn’t materialise," Bruce told Birmingham Live. “I haven’t really asked Tom what the situation was, but we were under the assumption that he was gone somewhere else.

“He came on the radar very quickly, it got done very quickly, considering he was in Australia. He couldn’t wait to get here. It was one of the easiest ones we’ve done, and we’ve got a very good player on our hands. He’s only 29, played 300 times for Celtic, I’ve seen him many times, we’re pleased that we got that one done."