Tony Pulis says contract talks with West Brom can wait

Tony Pulis has dismissed speculation he has already agreed a new contract with West Brom.

Reports claimed the former Crystal Palace manager has been rewarded by Albion after securing their Premier League status with seven games to spare.

However, Pulis, who succeeded Alan Irvine at the Hawthorns in January 2015 and has guided Albion to 11th in the table, dismissed the stories as premature and said contract talks with chairman Jeremy Pearce can wait until the summer.

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"It's the first I've heard of it," replied Pulis when asked about the reports.

"At the end of the season I'll sit down with Jeremy and we'll talk, we'll talk about the season and talk about the future. That's what I have done for years.

"Let me speak to Jeremy. The important thing is for us to finish the season as strongly as we can. I still have a year left, there's no rush in doing anything else. I would prefer to sit with Jeremy and have a nice glass of wine and a bite to eat.

"Every club you go into you could say 'you'll like this to happen and everything else' but, as I have said before, it's a very well run club and I don't think there are many clubs in the country who are run as well as this, financially."

Albion face Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday having reached the recognised safety mark of 40 points following last week's goalless draw at Sunderland.

And Pulis said the struggles of local rivals Aston Villa - who could be relegated on Saturday - shows how well the Baggies have done.

"We are delighted that, with seven games to go, we have 40 points," added Pulis.

"When you look at the bottom of the table and see Villa who are almost gone, Sunderland and Newcastle - it's been such an eye opener to see those clubs in that position.

"They are massive clubs. Everyone outside will understand how difficult this league is and you should never take it for granted.

"This season has shown, irrespective of who you are and what your name is, if you don't win games you'll either struggle or won't win the championship."