Three Steve Bruce signing NUFC could now bring in for nothing - Don't even think about it...

With several retained lists being released this week, there’s now a series of former Steve Bruce signings who are available to sign on free transfers.

Speaking just yesterday, ex-Scotland boss Alex McLeish believes we’d “love” to have one of them in Danny Rose, but he’s just one of three Bosman bullets we should be dodging this summer.

Another is 33-year Ahmed Elmohamady, a player who Bruce has previously signed THREE times at Sunderland, Hull and Aston Villa.

Nabil Bentaleb completes the unwanted trio and you can guarantee he will be somewhere on our shortlist despite an underwhelming loan spell last year.

England international Rose was valued by Spurs at £40million a few years ago, but a lack of form and fitness has seen his career drift and he looked a shadow of his former self during his short stint on Tyneside.

Bruce may fancy him as cheap cover at left back, but we really would be signing an unmotivated player on the decline rather than a young, hungry talent who is desperate to pull on the shirt.

Elmohamaday could be seen as a cost effective option at right back; Bruce obviously trusts the player but, yet again, he is another whose best days are way behind him and we should look for alternative options instead. Jacob Murphy made that role his own last season and tying him down on a new contract should be the priority.

Bentaleb, well, the less we say about him the better. The Algerian international had a nightmare 20/21 campaign, getting told to train with the reserves at Schalke despite the German giants finishing rock bottom of the Bundesliga.

He didn’t do anything of note in the 15 games he played for us but Bruce may fancy a punt on him due to funds being tight this summer.

All three would simply come here to make up the numbers and would add little to no improvement for our side overall.

Shrewd business can be done this window despite a limited budget - it's clear we'll be in the market for freebies and rightly so if they improve us - but shopping around for has-beens a is not the way to do it.

Let's hope Bruce' steers well clear of these three!

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