Bramble Deal Close To Completion

The deal looks certain to complete later today for the ex-Newcastle and Ipswich defender for a reported £750,000, which is a good deal if accurate.

Steve Bruce has called for all Sunderland fans to give the lad a chance and see if he can form a decent partnership with Michael Turner this season.

Bruce has said: 'He's a very, very good player and a good boy and he's going to be a huge asset to us.

'He was a young boy when he went there (Newcastle), he was 20 years old playing for a side which qualified for the Champions League twice.

'He made some mistakes, but people forget he was part of an excellent Newcastle side which always played in Europe.

'I remember having a conversation with the late Sir Bobby Robson about him and he said I should have no hesitation going for him.

'As it happened, I ended up working with him at Wigan in the end and Bobby was right. This really is a great deal; it's fantastic if I'm honest.'

'He was absolutely outstanding for me for two years at Wigan and it is a fantastic deal for this football club'

'He was player of the year in my last year there and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him.

'He is a big powerful defender who has played in the Premier League all his life. From about 18 or 19, he has been playing in the top flight.

'He has done extremely well over the last couple of years and I think he is going to be a big success at Sunderland. He was certainly the right player at the right price for me.

'It's a cracking deal and I'm delighted he is going to be a part of what we are trying to achieve at this football club. He enjoyed playing for me at Wigan and if he can reproduce that form we've got some player.'

In other news emerging today it looks likely that Marcos Angeleri could be granted his Italian passport and get past the 'technical misunderstanding' to seal a £2m deal from Estudiantes.

In breaking news on other websites it looks possible that Steve Bruce could also be lining up a move for another ex Newcastle player.

Charles N'Zogbia has been linked before and the rumours are growing that we may have had a bid accepted but this is all speculation at the moment.

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