If you want to attribute player transfers on managers:
Newcastle spent, including Joelinton, substracting for sales, under Bruce: £70m. Smith, in that exact same period of time spent £230m. I am not going to do the math for Benitez, but bear in mind the inflation in prices the last few years.
If you guys want to bash a manager, then get the facts straight. I never disliked Bruce as a man, even if I find his football boring. Yet the man is getting results, and he should be acknowledged for that.