Chairman: “He brings assurance and stability at an important time"
TONY Pulis has agreed a further one-year extension to his contract which commits him to The Hawthorns until the summer of 2018.
The Baggies Head Coach, who arrived in January 2015 as the reigning Premier League Manager of the Year to take the reins of an Albion side 17th in the table, has secured 13th and 14th place finishes.
Chairman John Williams believes the contract extension is in line with the clearly-stated aims of the Club’s new ownership group, led by Guochuan Lai, which targeted stability and continuity while endeavouring to establish the Baggies as a top-10 Premier League club.
“Tony has huge experience and proven know-how in one of the most demanding leagues in world football,” said Williams.
“He brings assurance and stability at an important time, when the Club is moving from one long-established ownership regime to the new leadership from China.
“From the outset, the takeover announcement made it clear that this new era would work to progress Albion to an established top 10 club without jeopardising continuity on and off the field.
“With this is mind, I am pleased we have extended Tony’s contract. The board and the owner believe this extension will bring us the key dual benefits of stability and improvement.”
At Albion, Pulis recently passed the celebrated milestone of 1,000 games as a first team boss which will see him inducted into the LMA’s Hall of Fame next year.
He has also been a champion of the Club’s Academy-reared talent, blooding Jonathan Leko, Tyler Roberts, Sam Field and Kane Wilson in first team football.
Pulis said: “This is a time of great change at Albion and when that happens you need continuity.
“As I have said from the outset, I want to build things here and play my part in improving the Club. You cannot do these things overnight but I do believe, step by step, we are making advances.
“I think the bulk of our fans understand the process we embarked upon under the shadow of relegation less than two years ago.
“We have a Club which can aspire to be an established top 10 member of the football league everyone in the world wants to be part of. I want to continue to front that challenge.”
Pulis came to The Hawthorns having won the acclaim of his peers for rescuing Crystal Palace from relegation, a feat which earned him his manager of the season award by the LMA.
That followed his landmark spell at Stoke City, a club he raised from the Championship’s middle reaches to Premier League stability while reaching an FA Cup final appearance and the last 16 of the Europa League.