Newcastle United boss has insisted he will be nobody's "puppet" after being appointed head coach at St James' Park.
The Geordie boss met the media for the first time today in Shanghai at the team's hotel.
Bruce admits he will have to put up with some "nonsense" after taking the job but said he could not turn the club down.
Speaking from China, Bruce said: "I don't really want to go into specifics.
"There are have been a couple of things written, some of the comments.
"The big one is am I going to sit here and be a puppet? That won't happen. I am in charge of transfers."
Bruce is keen to get to work straight away and said that new signings should soon follow.
He added: "It's like most football clubs. I will have the final say on transfers.
"I have read all kinds of nonsense that I won't. I will work hard to make sure I work with the chief scout.
"The policy is like most other clubs. Identifying the players and making sure we fit in. I will have control of who we bring in."
When asked about how close deals are, he said: "We want to make a couple of acquisitions at least.
"With the loss of Perez and Rondon where we have to immediately take a look.
"Make no mistake we ARE active as we speak. Hopefully, we will get them over the line."
