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Tony Pulis is set to become Middlesbrough’s next manager.

Former Stoke and West Brom boss Pulis, 59, is in talks with Boro over a three year deal to succeed Garry Monk at Boro.

Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson will continue talks in the next 24 hours and is hoping to announce Pulis’s appointment by Boxing Day when they face Bolton.

Gibson is a big admirer of Pulis and believes he would offer a bigger guarantee of promotion this season as the club are desperate to go straight back up.

Boro spent big last summer on contracts and players - including £15m on striker Britt Assombalonga - with the intention of an immediate return to the Premier League.

(Image: CameraSport)

Monk got the sack even though Boro are ninth, three points off the play-off places and had won at Sheffield Wednesday.

But that was still not enough for Boro and the fact that Pulis is out of work and available is the reason why they decided to axe Monk despite the bad timing two days before Christmas and having just won.

(Image: Getty)

Gibson rang Monk to break the news and the ex-Leeds and and Swansea boss was expecting a call to congratulate him on the win - only to get the bullet.

Boro had been having meetings including Monk about January transfer targets and he had not seen it coming at all.

(Image: Reuters)

Boro were favourites to go up and Monk was judged harshly against those expectations as it was always going to take time to turn around a dressing room which has just been relegated.

Despite unpredictable form and difficult reasons, Monk was still confident of making a sustained promotion push in the second half of the season.