Jose Mourinho has hailed Tony Pulis as the perfect manager for any team in England and says that if he owned a club, the West Bromwich Albion coach would be the man he would have in charge.

Mourinho's Chelsea travel to face Pulis' Albion at the Hawthorns on Monday night and the Portuguese coach believes the work of his opposite number, who he calls 'fantastic', is underrated.

The former Crystal Palace and Stoke City manager took over at West Brom in January with the Midlands club just a point above the relegation zone but the Baggies have now secured another season in the Premier League.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho takes a training session ahead of his side's trip to West Brom on Monday

Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek during a training session at the Cobham Training Ground on Friday

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill moves to block a ball during a club training session on Friday afternoon

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas controls the ball during a session at the club's Cobham training ground

Chelsea striker Diego Costa tussles for possession with Andreas Christensen during a training session

'It's simple. If I own an English club, which I don't and which I'd never do, I'd sign Tony Pulis. It's as simple as that,' Mourinho said in his pre-match press conference.

'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 mathetmatic: what the club wants, he gives,' added Mourinho.

'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. Which is the 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.'

Chelsea's title-winning manager maintains he is happy with the squad has built despite being linked with numerous players arriving at Stamford Bridge this summer and doesn't expect to be busy in the transfer market:

'I expect to be busy walking from my towel on the sand to the water, swim a little bit and be back in the sun again. That's where I expect to be busy,' joked the Blues boss.

'I like my squad very, very much. It's a young squad with space to improve. And I'm in a different position to last season. Then, I was more than keen for my club to sell some players and in this moment I'm very, very happy to keep my players. The base last year was to sell to buy. The base this season is to keep my squad.'

Tony Pulis gives Mourinho a hug ahead of a match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea last year