Newcastle's interest in Chris Wilder made public - One to watch if Bruce loses at Brighton?

According to The Athletic, Newcastle United are admirers of Chris Wilder and almost made a move for the former Sheffield United boss before Steve Bruce got the job.

As you'll be aware, the 53 year-old was given his marching orders at Bramall Lane over the weekend - ending a five years stint that saw him take the Blades from League One to 9th in the Premier League last season.

The Athletic claim that Wilder was 'on Newcastle's radar' before we looked to the other side of Sheffield and poached Steve Bruce from Sheffield Wednesday over 18 months ago.

With Wilder now available and many believing that Bruce will be sacked if he loses to Brighton on Saturday night, it's fair to say the former could be one to watch if the worst happens this weekend.

His stock may have gone down slightly after leaving Sheffield United rock bottom on 14 points, however I am a firm believer that any manager capable of getting their squad up to 9th in the Premier League is a considerably better than Steve Bruce - a man who's got a capable squad sleepwalking towards relegation.

It's not nice to think about, but Wilder's recent record in the Championship is also superior to Bruce's. The former got Sheffield United automatically promoted with 89 points the season before last, while Bruce's last two gigs in the second tier saw Sheffield Wednesday finish 12th and him leave Aston Villa in the same position before he was sacked in 2018.

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