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Jonny Evans in line for a new deal after staying put at West Brom
Tony Pulis wants West Bromwich Albion to offer Jonny Evans a new contract after Manchester City’s failed pursuit.
Evans is in line for a deal worth over £80,000 a week, to become Albion’s best-paid player, with his future now resolved following the closure of the transfer window.
City, Arsenal and Leicester targeted the Northern Ireland international over the summer but Albion resisted all offers and stuck rigidly to their £30 million valuation.
Evans has under two years remaining on his current deal but negotiations are expected to start this month over improved terms.
Pulis said: “I think everybody at the football club would like to see him tied down.
“It will be interesting to see what Jonny wants to do. It's all about the three parties, as it always is in a transfer, the buying, the selling and the person in the middle.
“The bottom line with Jonny is Arsenal were interested and Man City were interested.
“They just never met the value the football club wanted. If they had met the value it might have been a different situation.
“So I am pleased obviously Jonny stayed and he has to knuckle down now and get back in the team and start showing everybody what a good player he is again.”
Signed from Manchester United for £6 million in August 2015, Evans has been a key player under Pulis but is yet to feature for the club this season.
The 29-year-old has missed West Brom’s games with a hamstring injury but is contention to play against Brighton on Saturday.
Evans has admitted he is “very excited to play” for West Brom again and Pulis is not expecting any after-effects from the chaotic finale to the transfer window.
“Jonny's been at a big club, he wasn't overawed by the fact big clubs wanted him and it didn't affect him at all,” he said.
“That experience of being at Manchester United most probably helped him. He’s been fantastic for this football club and he’s become a better player.”
Pulis’ new signings Grzegorz Krychowiak, a loan capture from Paris Saint-Germain, and £7 million buy Kieran Gibbs will also be in the squad.