NEWS:STEVE BRUCE has agreed personal terms with Sunderland and the club have pencilled in plans to unveil him as their new manager at the Stadium of Light at lunchtime today. Bruce leaves Wigan for a three-year contract understood to be worth €70,000 a week, or €3.5 million a year, a significant improvement on his €52,000-a-week remuneration at the JJB Stadium.

Eric Black, his assistant at Wigan, Nigel Spink, the goalkeeping coach, and Keith Bertschin, the reserve team coach, are all due to join him.

Black’s installation raises questions about Ricky Sbragia’s role on Wearside. The former manager, who replaced Roy Keane in December but resigned last month, has been promised a “job for life” by Niall Quinn, Sunderland’s chairman, but could be scouting rather than coaching if he takes up that offer.

Spink’s impending arrival casts further doubts on the future of Raimond van der Gouw, Sunderland’s current goalkeeping coach, who was brought to the club by Keane. The former Manchester United goalkeeper’s position has looked under threat ever since Keane’s departure and he is now expected to return to the Netherlands this summer.

With personal terms and the composition of Bruce’s backroom team agreed during a second day of talks with Quinn in Dublin yesterday, conversation between the chairman and incoming manager turned to transfer targets and long-term strategy.

It is understood a shopping list was drawn up which could include Wigan’s Antonio Valencia, Paul Scharner and Lee Cattermole. However, the defender Titus Bramble is not thought to feature on it. As a lifelong Newcastle fan, Bruce realises Bramble would almost certainly not appeal to a Sunderland public the new manager hopes to swiftly win over.

Scharner has revealed his admiration for Roy Hodgson’s work at Fulham as he seeks to end his spell at Wigan. The versatile 29-year-old intends to be part of an expected migration from Wigan this summer, along with Valencia and Maynor Figueroa, with the overhaul behind manager Bruce’s willingness to begin a fresh start at Sunderland.

Scharner, who cost €2.31 million from Brann in 2006, has been linked with several clubs in England and Germany and has now made it clear he would be receptive to a move to Craven Cottage.

“The club bosses want to take Fulham forward,” said Scharner. “They were almost relegated the previous year, but they have qualified for the Europa League and are clearly moving in the right direction.”

Meanwhile Dave Whelan’s attempts to replace Bruce with the Swansea City manager Roberto Martinez, a former Wigan player, have been thwarted by the Welsh club. Wigan’s owner is annoyed at Swansea’s demands for compensation for their Spanish manager.

“We made an approach to Swansea but they are asking a nonsensical sum ,” said an insider at the JJB Stadium. “Roberto was our number one but we are now drawing up a list of other targets we want to talk to.”

Although Martinez, who is also coveted by Celtic, could yet end up returning to north-west England, Peterborough United’s Darren Ferguson and the former Wigan manager Paul Jewell are in contention, with Dundee United’s Craig Levein regarded as a dark horse.

• Guardian service