How Steve Bruce's Newcastle had a transfer window many Brighton fans dearly wanted

The Magpies, who face Brighton at St James' Park today, have earned early plaudits from their latest recruitment drive with debutants Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick both scoring in last Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League win at West Ham.

Ryan Fraser followed suit against Blackburn in the Carabao Cup in midweek and left back Jamal Lewis also impressed against the Hammers.

Brighton entered the transfer window seeking a striker and a left back and as yet they have been frustrated in their attempts to land either.

Albion made a shrewd signing to poach Dutch international defender Joel Veltman from Ajax for £900,000 and Adam Lallana's free transfer from Liverpool also the caught the eye.

Lallana, 32, brings undoubted quality and experience but his fitness record is a cause for concern.

His Albion debut against Chelsea last Monday was just his 10th Premier League start in the last four seasons and the 32-year-old hobbled off after just 45 minutes in a bruising defeat to Chelsea.

Albion were short on goals last season and while head coach Graham Potter insists he is happy with his attacking options, a striker in the mould of Callum Wilson and a flying left back such as a Jamal Lewis would have worked wonders for this Albion squad.

"I'm keen to try and improve the group we have got and that means working with the players we have," said Potter with 14 days of the transfer window remaining.

"The football club in any window has to look for the possibility to improve. We have been through some tough economic challenges recently and I'm not sure we are out of the woods yet.

"But at the same time we will always be looking. The biggest focus is improving the players we have because we have a really good bunch here."

Bruce worked closely with managing director Lee Charnley and head of recruitment Steve Nickson to identify the men he wanted, and believes the club has boxed clever in a challenging market.

He said: “We didn’t spend the money in January, which enabled us to keep hold of it and make sure that we could get the players that we wanted to get in this summer. I think that was a smart move.

“I’ve worked tirelessly alongside Steve, Lee Charnley and the scouting department. We try to work together – of course, it’s impossible for me to see every single player.

“But we all thought that with the short pre-season, with the build-up not being long, to get people settled into a new environment, let’s go for a little bit of the tried and tested. I think it’s certainly helped us.”

With £13.5million full-back Lewis also making an impressive bow at West Ham and goalkeeper Mark Gillespie claiming a clean sheet against Rovers, Newcastle have enjoyed as positive a transfer window as they have had for some time.

As a result, Bruce and his players have started the new campaign – which continues with Sunday’s home clash with Brighton – in a far more positive environment than they did the last, when the former Manchester United defender also had to contend with popular disquiet over his own appointment.

He said: “It was difficult coming through the door 12 months ago. There was not a lot of time to work with the team and blah, blah, blah. But there’s nothing like a couple of results – that helps.

“The work we’ve done in the transfer market has given everyone a lift, not just the manager, but the group of players and the supporters.

“You reporters now see a group of players where you think, ‘Newcastle have a half-decent squad’, and that’s the improvement that you want in 12 months.”