The video will start in 8 Cancel

Sign up NOW for daily Baggies news straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Tony Pulis has admitted his summer recruitment drive is way behind schedule with “four or five players” still needed before the season starts.

Pulis knows his modest and aging squad needs reinforcing, especially if the Baggies are to sustain a top ten push next season.

But getting deals done has not been so straight-forward for Pulis who has been left frustrated in his pursuit of defenders Ben Gibson and Kieran Gibbs.

“I was hoping we’d get a few over the line by now but it hasn’t happened,” he said.

“We have to be patient because we want to get players in that will hopefully improve the team.

“We need to bring about four or five players in.

“We do and that’s very important.

“Everybody is waiting for it, it’s not just the the supporters, the manager, everybody.

“Our own players as well.

“They’re all waiting for new faces to come in and strengthen what is a small squad.

“We’re trying to get players in and that’s what we’ve got to do.

“We’ve got to get some deals over the line.”

A late Tom Pope header time cancelled out Hal Robson-Kanu’s first half strike at Port Vale to deprive Albion of a win in their final domestic game of pre-season.

The Baggies now head to Spain to take on Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday in their last warm-up before the nitty gritty starts against Bournemouth.

The Vale clash provided another workout while the result did at least arrive without the kind of injuries suffered in the loss at Bristol Rovers.

“Most of the team have had another 45 minutes,” Pulis said.

“We’re on a certain level.

“We want a certain amount of minutes for the senior pros during pre-season.”