The former Tigers leader has been sharing his views on the current situation at his former club.
Former Hull City manager Steve Bruce believes it could take a bid in excess of £20m to pry Jacob Greaves away from the MKM Stadium this summer.
Bruce, who famously guided City to promotion from the Championship to the Premier League on two separate occasions, along with an FA Cup final and a brief foray into Europe, thinks that in the current market and given Greaves’ impressive form last season—racking up numerous awards and a place in the Team of the Season—he must be valued in that bracket.
City do not want to sell one of their most prized assets this summer. However, given the constraints of Financial Fair Play, owner Acun Ilicali expects firm interest to materialize into concrete offers from the likes of West Ham, Everton, and Nottingham Forest. Only if Greaves, or anyone else, requests to leave will City reluctantly sell, but Bruce feels the Tigers are in a strong position to demand a big fee.
“Can he do better than he’s done this season? If you’re telling me he’s played 50 games, won Player of the Season, been named in the Championship’s Team of the Season, then of course, every player wants to play at the highest level, and I’m sure he must be thinking to himself, there’s a big opportunity here for me because there aren’t many left-sided defenders.
“Yes, we keep producing number 10s, wide players, and all the rest of it, but there aren’t many out-and-out left-footed centre-backs. We saw with England against Serbia—Kieran Trippier playing on the left-hand side. A natural left-footer to give you the balance of your team is worth its weight in gold.
“I’m sure there’s going to be interest, and I’m sure it’s going to be very difficult for the kid to turn it down because everybody wants to play in the Premier League.
“The kid, Jarrad Branthwaite—have they turned down £45m? He was at Carlisle, and I should have taken him—he was on our doorstep at Newcastle and he was only £1.5m or £2m when he went to Everton. He’s flourished and now he’s at £45m all of a sudden? The thing is, he’s been there and done it in the Premier League whereas the boy Greaves has not. It will probably take a cheque, probably north of £20m now to even consider it, I would have thought.”
Though he admits seeing Liam Rosenior sacked last month was, in his opinion, the harshest sacking of the summer so far, Bruce says the opportunity Tim Walter has to stamp his authority on the squad from the start of pre-season, particularly with so many players needed in the transfer market, is a significant one.
“I don’t think there’s anything better on the management side if you’ve got the time and you’ve got a little bit of money to invest to put your own team together, and that was certainly the situation I had at City.
“I took over from Nick Barmby; I think they’d finished eighth but there was a little bit of work to be done. As I’ve said, we begged, steeled, borrowed, and pinched. You put your own stamp on it, and it’s a wonderful opportunity given he’s got a few resources to go with. It’s a nice opportunity to build your own team, of course.”
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