Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has signed his second defender of the day with the capture of Manchester City's Nedum Onuoha.

Having secured the return of John Mensah from Lyon for a second loan spell after he impressed last season, Bruce has snared another of his targets in former England Under-21 captain Onuoha.

The 23-year-old came through the ranks at Eastlands and made his first-team debut for City at the age of 17 but he has found his first-team opportunities increasingly limited over the last couple of seasons.

Mensah and Onuoha, who could both face Birmingham in the Barclays Premier League opener on Saturday, swell Sunderland's defensive ranks still further, with Bruce also having snapped up Titus Bramble from Wigan earlier this summer.

"Nedum is a modern-day defender," said the Black Cats boss, who completed a busy day of business after also selling striker Kenwyne Jones to Stoke for £8million.

"He's big, quick and powerful - a really good defender, who, despite his age, has already played over 100 games. He has all the attributes a modern defender needs.

"Nedum is someone I've tracked for a long time so it's great to get the deal done to bring him here. He can play anywhere across the back line, too, so it's great to have added that flexibility and some strong competition for places."

Onuoha, who was born in Nigeria but raised in Manchester, is considered one of England's brightest young defensive talents and, despite a number of injury problems and competition for places, he has already made more than 100 appearances for City.

He signed a five-year deal with Roberto Mancini's side last summer but, with City having boosted their defensive ranks still further in the close season with the additions of Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov, Onuoha has chosen to move on.

Mensah, meanwhile, has finally completed his return to the Stadium of Light after a protracted agreement was sorted out with the French club.

Bruce had always maintained he was eager to bring the defender back, and the former Rennes man's impressive displays for Ghana at the World Cup also meant there was the chance other clubs would try to step in.

The 27-year-old impressed immensely when he was fit last season but a number of injury problems meant he was restricted to 18 appearances.

Jones, who could make his debut against Wolves on Saturday, left the Caribbean in 2004 to try his luck in England and joined Southampton after a successful trial.

Loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke followed and his performances for Saints in the 2006/07 season persuaded Sunderland to part with £6million for his services.

The tall striker swiftly became a favourite at the Stadium of Light, scoring 20 goals over his first two seasons, but last term, although he contributed nine goals, Jones found himself in and out of the side.

Darren Bent stole the show up front, netting 25 times, and Black Cats boss Steve Bruce revealed today that frustration with Jones' inconsistency persuaded him to accept Stoke's offer.

He told the Sunderland Echo: "There has always been a frustration with me, and I think with supporters who have watched Kenwyne, that you see an abundance of talent but it has not come out often enough for us for whatever reason.

"In management you get paid to make some important decisions sometimes. Stoke have been badgering me for a year. Everyone knows they love a big, traditional centre-forward and he might go and suit them.

"Towards the end with Kenwyne, things were not working out so I have accepted Stoke's offer."

Pulis has been biding his time in the transfer marker this summer, with youngster Florent Cuvelier and keeper Carlo Nash the only players to arrive at the Britannia Stadium before today.

A forward has been a priority and the Potters boss reached a verbal agreement with French club Nice over a fee for Loic Remy but, with other clubs interested, that deal appeared to have stalled.

Three of Stoke's current forwards - Dave Kitson, James Beattie and Tuncay Sanli - have all been linked with moves away in the last few weeks and speculation about their futures will now increase.

Chief executive Tony Scholes hailed Jones' capture as a statement of intent from Stoke, who have finished 12th and 11th in their two seasons in the Barclays Premier League.

He said: "Breaking our transfer record once again - the fourth instance in two and a half years - is a measure of the club's ambitions as we look to continue moving forward and build upon our success under Tony Pulis.

"Kenwyne has been on Tony's wish list for some time and we are delighted to sign a striker who many of the country's top defenders consider to be a real handful on his day. This is an exciting acquisition for the club."

Jones, who scored 28 goals in 101 appearances for Sunderland in total, is the latest player to leave the Black Cats for Stoke, following in the footsteps of Dean Whitehead, Danny Collins, Danny Higginbotham, Rory Delap, Thomas Sorensen and Liam Lawrence.