Steve Bruce can look forward to €9.5 million in compensation after his departure from Newcastle United, it knows The Athletic to report. The Magpies announced through the official channels on Wednesday morning that it had been decided to split up ‘by mutual agreement’. While the sixty-year-old trainer in conversation with the Daily Telegraph does not exclude that his coaching career is now over, there is much speculation about who will be his successor.
Bruce was still in possession of a permanent contract at Newcastle and that commitment included a clause that would net him €9.5 million in the event of an early departure. “I would like to thank all the people who have worked with me because I can be demanding,” Bruce said after leaving Newcastle. Daily Telegraph. “I can’t handle my loss very well. But when you’ve had Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Hull City and Sunderland in the Premier League, at some point you can handle it better.”
“When I came to Newcastle I thought I could handle anything that was thrown at me. But it was very, very difficult,” continues the former manager of Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday, who has been with Newcastle since the summer of 2019. “I felt like I was never wanted, that people wanted me to fail. I read constantly that I would fail, that I am worthless, a fat waste of space or was a tactically incapable idiot. From day one.”
“Even if we did well in terms of results, I was told that the way we played football was bad or that we were lucky. It was ridiculous. I’ve tried to enjoy it. I enjoyed the fight to prove people wrong. But it takes its toll at some point,” Bruce said. He thinks this was probably his last trick as a manager. “Until I get a call from a chairman asking if I can help them. Never say never, I’ve learned.”
Meanwhile, there is much speculation about his successor at Newcastle. The names of Antonio Conte, Frank Lampard, Lucien Favre (all clubless), Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City), Roberto Martínez (Belgium national coach), Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard (Rangers) all fell last week. Transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that there were for the time being, there is no talk with Antonio Conte. However, there are talks with Paulo Fonseca (also clubless) and Favre on the program, although nothing has been decided for the time being.