Sunderland miss out on three last-minute deals
Published 16:21 02/09/09 By By MirrorFootball
Frustrated Steve Bruce failed with THREE deadline day swoops.
And the busy Sunderland boss also vetoed Spurs' bid to land Black Cats defender Anton Ferdinand in a swap deal for Scotland full-back Alan Hutton.
Bruce has been the summer's third biggest-spending Premier League manager after splashing £35m on seven players.
But the fed-up Wearside boss was knocked back on three fronts in a bid to make it eight new arrivals by bringing in extra defensive cover.
Wigan stood firm on £5m Black Cats target Maynor Figueroa as the ex-Latics boss attempted a second summer raid on his former club after the £6m capture of midfielder Lee Cattermole.
Bruce also failed in a bid for Egyptian international Ahmed Al Muhammadi, when the highly-rated wing-back's club Enppi turned down a season-long loan move.
The Sunderland manager also tried to resurrect his interest in ex-West Ham defender Lucas Neill, but was beaten by the clock on a hectic deadline day when Spurs' cheeky swap move for Ferdinand collapsed.
Aussie international Neill could still end up at the Stadium of Light despite the closure of the window due to his status as a free agent.
Sources on Wearside suggest the 31-year-old former Hammers skipper could sign a short-term deal on £40,000-a-week.
