Steve Bruce is finally ready to replace former Newcastle United midfielder Mo Diame in January, according to the Shields Gazette.
The newspaper claim on their website that Bruce rued the departure of Diame in the summer after he was released after rarely being used by Rafael Benitez last season.
The Shields Gazette reports that Steve Nickson is currently looking at forward options as well as midfielders who can come in and make a difference in the second half of the season.
It is suggested that Bruce believes he has enough strength in defence after reinforcing his backline in the summer with the likes of Jetro Willems and Emil Krafth.
OPINION
With the introduction of Matty Longstaff in the middle of the park, it seems strange that Bruce wants to add more legs to his midfield. Diame was capable of getting forward and running on the ball with great power into the final third, and that is something that could be missing from the Magpies. There is no doubting that Longstaff can push forward, and that the likes of Jonjo Shelvey can add goals, but they don’t have that player that has the power that Diame possessed. A lot of pressure is currently on the shoulders of Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin to get on the ball and make forward runs to create their own opportunities, and they need a player in midfield who can take some of that away from the two forwards. Goals are at a premium for their forward options at St James’ Park, with their defenders scoring the majority of them so far, so an extra man in midfield who can push forward and score would be a great option for Bruce to have.
