How Steve Bruce was sacked after subbing off Brandon Thomas-Asante

Steve Bruce has revealed that one of the decisions that ultimately cost him his job at West Bromwich Albion was taking off Ghana forward Brandon Thomas-Asante.

Bruce signed Thomas-Asante from League Two side Salford City on deadline day in August 2022, giving the forward his first opportunity at Championship level. The gamble paid off almost immediately.

Thomas-Asante scored a late equaliser on his West Brom debut against Burnley, quickly winning over the supporters and becoming a fan favourite at The Hawthorns.

Just over a month later, however, Bruce found himself on the wrong side of those same supporters.

He is the modern Kante - Thomas-Asante hails Caleb Yirenkyi

During West Brom's 0-0 home draw with Luton Town on October 8, 2022, Bruce substituted Thomas-Asante, along with Grady Diangana, as frustration mounted inside the stadium.

The decision triggered chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” from the home crowd, with supporters also calling for Bruce to leave.

Speaking about the incident, Bruce recalled how the fans called for his head after the substitution.

“I think after half an hour at West Brom, he became a cult hero all of a sudden. In fact, the reason why I got the sack really at West Brom was I took him off. I took them off, and the crowd shouted: ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’ I brought on Karlan Grant, who was £15million’s worth,” he said.

West Brom sacked Bruce two days later after a poor start to the season. He had managed just eight wins in 32 games, with the club sitting 22nd in the Championship.

Thomas-Asante, meanwhile, continued his rise. He scored 21 goals in 78 appearances for West Brom before joining Coventry City in 2024.

In 2025/26, he helped Coventry win the Championship and secure Premier League promotion, scoring 13 league goals.

And on August 21, 2026, Thomas-Asante completed another remarkable step in his journey, making his Premier League debut for Coventry against Arsenal at the Emirates.

FKA/EB

I’m here to win things - Eric Tinkler sets target for new GPL season