West Bromwich Albion defender Jonny Evans has been attracting attention from the Baggies’ Premier League rivals Leicester City.
Tony Pulis has issued an emphatic response when asked about Jonny Evans’ future, insisting that the defender will be staying at West Brom this summer amid speculation linking him with a move to Leicester, the Express and Star reports.
The Express and Star reports that the former Manchester United man has attracted a £10 million bid from the Foxes during this window, and after that was rejected, there was an expectation that it would be followed up with a second offer.
West Bromwich Albion’s Jonny Evans
However, Baggies fans seemingly have little to worry about regarding the future of their new captain, with Pulis insisting that the Northern Ireland international will remain at the Hawthorns.
“Who hasn’t been linked?” He said, as reported by the Express and Star.
“It’s a feeding season for the press at the moment and some of the stuff that is written and said is laughable at times.
“But Jonny Evans is staying with West Bromwich Albion. There is no doubt about that.”
Having lost a key man amongst the dressing room in Darren Fletcher during this window, keeping Evans at West Brom was arguably a necessity if Pulis’ men wanted to replicate their performance from last season where they spent much of the campaign as the top seven’s closest rivals before tailing off towards the end.
West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis
Not only does the 29-year-old provide the kind of leadership that will be vital following Fletcher’s move to Stoke, but keeping him is also crucial due to the fact that Pulis simply does not have the numbers currently to allow another first-team player to move on.
Ahmed Hegazy has been brought in to strengthen the defensive options, but replacing the Foxes target would have still arguably been an incredible ask – so Pulis’ confidence regarding Evans is certainly a major positive.
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