Bruce delighted with Heskey deal

The burly forward, who notched goals in both fixtures against the Blues this season, will move to St Andrews after a four-year spell at Anfield in which he never truly lived up to the hype of a record £11m transfer.

While Heskey remains a much-maligned figure amongst pundits and fans alike, Bruce is sure he has sealed a tremendous deal for the England striker.

Bruce said: "This is an absolutely fantastic signing for the club. He is still only 26 years old, has 40 England caps to his name and will be representing his country at Euro 2004.

"To pull off a signing like this is quite remarkable and I am really excited to add Emile to the squad for next season. Hopefully, he will be the first of several high-profile signings that we will be making this summer."