Amanda Staveley apologises to Steve Bruce for ‘incorrect’ claim

Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley has apologised to former manager Steve Bruce for claiming that he did not want to come into work after the club was bought by a Saudi Arabian-led consortium.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Bruce are understood to have contacted Staveley to point out that he had not once refused to come into work after the takeover and had helped advise them on the best course of action to take in the early days of the new regime.

Staveley said, at the Bloomberg’s Power Player forum in Jeddah earlier this month, they inherited a manager who “basically didn’t even want to come to work” when they took control of the club in October 2021.

The day after the takeover, Bruce had met the new owners at the club’s training ground and had taken charge of their first game against Tottenham, his 1,000th match as a manager.

Telegraph Sport understands that during that meeting, Bruce had warned them that he was the only negative that remained at the club after the takeover as the fans wanted him to be sacked, but he would remain for as long as they wanted him to do so to help with the transition.

He even recommended Eddie Howe as one of the people they should speak to if they wanted to search for a successor.

That has prompted an apology and a clarification from Staveley, who said on Instagram that she was wrong to have given the impression he was not committed to his job.

She said: “I would like to clarify a comment I made at a recent speaking engagement. While commenting on Newcastle United at the time of the club’s change in ownership, I suggested the club had a coach who did not want to come to work.

“This suggestion was not correct; Steve Bruce was fully committed to his role at the club and always came to work during this period.

“I would like to make that clear that it was not my intention to question or undermine the professionalism of Steve, who was always professional throughout my dealings with him and committed to achieving the best for Newcastle United.

“I am happy to clarify my comments and I offer an apology to Steve for my comments and any unintended consequences.”

Bruce has not asked for any damages to be paid and has told Telegraph Sport that an apology was sufficient to end the matter.