Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho admits he would hire Tony Pulis if he ever had the chance to buy an English club.
Mourinho is taking on Pulis’ West Brom side on Monday night and is a huge admirer of the 57-year-old, who has also managed Stoke and Crystal Palace in the top flight.
Pulis has successfully kept all three clubs in the Premier League and while Mourinho doesn’t have any plans to own a team in the future, he thinks Pulis is a man to be respected.
“If I own an English club, which I don't and which I'd never do, I'd sign Tony Pulis,” he said. “It's as simple as that. It's a guarantee to achieve what the club wants.
“He never managed a club that wants to be champions. He never managed a club that wants a top four place. He's always managed clubs who want to survive and who want stability, and he's mathematic: what the club wants, he gives.
“His record is absolutely amazing and he does what some people don't understand – but I do – and what other people sometimes don't rate, but I do.
“There is a relation between what the manager wants and what the team is. Tony's teams are exactly what he wants, exactly what he prepares a team to be. This is the most difficult thing in football.
“Philosophy is a beautiful thing but football is more than that. Tony is a great example of that.
“A simple example: Manchester United against WBA. If WBA plays with a Glasgow Celtic or Glasgow Rangers shirt, you could say that team is managed by Tony Pulis. For me, it's fantastic.
“I'm not very, very happy because I was expecting that, when he went to West Brom, they would step by step, in a solid and stable way, reach their objectives.”
Meanwhile, Mourinho has confirmed striker Diego Costa will return from a hamstring injury against West Brom on Monday.
Costa, who has scored 20 goals this term, has not played since limping off against Stoke six weeks ago.
However, Kurt Zouma (knee), Oscar (thigh) and Ramires (illness) have been ruled out for the rest of the season.
