Aston Villa transfer news: Steve Bruce hunting four top quality players
Steve Bruce has met Villa owner Tony Xia to plot next year's assault on the Championship and revealed he is looking for four players 'of real quality'.
The pair met in midweek in the afterglow of Villa's victory over Blues last weekend and Bruce said he is hoping to bring in players who can handle the expectation that goes with playing for the claret and blues.
Bruce hailed Xia's plans for the club as 'terrific' and said: "What he wants for the club is incredible, it's good to see."
And the boss added: "I have a nucleus of a very decent squad for the Championship. I'd like two, three or four real bits of quality – lads who will make a huge difference. I think this is what this club demands.
"We need real bits of quality. It's very difficult to play here with the expectation so we need players who can handle that.
"That usually points to Premier League quality, international quality – that for me, going-forward, is the most difficult part because obviously they are expensive. We have to cut our cloth."
Bruce added: "We're taking 8,000 supporters which is quite remarkable when you think we're halfway up the Championship.
"I think that's the fillip and the tonic for all of us to really grasp what this club is all about. There wouldn't be many on the last day of a season with nothing to play for talking that sort of support. Meanwhile, Bruce revealed Mile Jedinak was a major doubt for the trip to Blackburn with a groin injury and could miss the final game of the season at home to Brighton a week tomorrow. He has been suffering with a groin injury for a month.
