Steve Bruce pleased by Newcastle's 'smart' transfer strategy | OneFootball

Steve Bruce has expressed his satisfaction that Newcastle kept their powder dry in the January transfer window.

The Magpies still had some relegation fears at the start of the year, but were able to lift themselves to safety with the players at their disposal.

Callum Wilson, Jeff Hendrick and Ryan Fraser have all come through the door at St James’ Park in recent weeks, with all three opening their scoring accounts in the first week of the season.

Wilson and Hendrick scored in the 2-0 league win over West Ham, while Fraser netted the winner in Tuesday’s EFL Cup win over Blackburn.

Bruce believes the instant impact of the trio vindicates Newcastle’s decision to hold off on new signings midway through last season.

“We didn’t spend the money in January, which enabled us to keep hold of it and make sure that we could get the players that we wanted to get in this summer. I think that was a smart move,” Bruce said, per Press Association.

“I’ve worked tirelessly alongside Steve [Nickson], Lee Charnley and the scouting department. We try to work together – of course, it’s impossible for me to see every single player.

“But we all thought that with the short pre-season, with the build-up not being long, to get people settled into a new environment, let’s go for a little bit of the tried and tested. I think it’s certainly helped us.”

In addition to the aforementioned players, Newcastle have acquired left-back Jamal Lewis for £13.5m from Norwich and signed former Motherwell goalkeeper on a free transfer.