Confirmed: Steve Bruce to remain as Aston Villa manager
Villa have confirmed Steve Bruce will remain as manager, ending speculation over his future.
The club confirmed the 57-year-old will stay in post following a meeting on Wednesday with new majority shareholders, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry is understood to have been sounded out about potentially replacing Bruce, following Sawiris and Edens arrival at the club last week.
But Villa ended any speculation over the manager’s future when they released a statement confirming Bruce had the “full support” of the new men at the helm.
It read: “Aston Villa can confirm manager Steve Bruce has met majority owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens and will continue as manager with their full support.”
The statement, though brief, means Villa can now begin planning in earnest for a season which is now less than a fortnight away.
Bruce also now has a little more than two weeks to get his squad in shape before the transfer window closes on August 9.
The futures of several players need to be resolved, most notably that of star man Jack Grealish, who is a target for Tottenham.
Villa’s concerns with Financial Fair Play mean Grealish is still likely to be sold.
Yet the arrival of Sawiris and Edens means the threat of a fire sale, once very real when former owner Tony Xia battled a cash crisis, no longer exists.
