Thursday 29 January 2015 23:18, UK
Tony Pulis is confident new signing Callum McManaman will excite West Brom's fans and says the winger is determined to make his mark in the Premier League.
McManaman became Pulis’ first signing as West Brom manager on Wednesday, putting pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year contract after the club paid £4.75m for his services.
And speaking ahead of the visit of Tottenham on Saturday, Pulis has challenged McManaman to produce the form which caught the eye of England manager Roy Hodgson before last year’s World Cup.
"We've spent a lot of time chasing him," said Pulis. "He has good ability, can score a goal, and we need people to create chances and take opportunities in the final third, and he's proven at this level.
"I like having wide players in the team who can run up and down the pitch, can take the team up the pitch, and the crowd like players who can take individuals out of a game, and Callum can do that.
"We had that at Stoke with Matt Etherington and Jermain Pennant, and at Crystal Palace with Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon.
"After being out of the Premier League for a while he's desperate to come back in, do well and put his mark on it. I've spoken to a lot of people about him and I feel I've a drift on his personality and character.
"The important thing is he really concentrates on his football now and fulfils his enormous potential."
McManamanan says it was a difficult to leave Wigan but admits the lure of playing in the Premier League was too good to resist.
"Once the chance came to return to the Premier League then I had to go for it," he said. "It's exciting. I have to admit it was hard to leave Wigan after being there for eight years because I liked the club, fans, everything.
"But joining up with Tony was a pull, he's someone who gets results and he seems like a top bloke as well. The Premier League, though, was the main factor for me. I've missed it a lot to be honest.
"It's massive because everyone wants to play in the Premier League, so I'm looking forward to getting going again."
Despite going on a four-match unbeaten run since taking over at West Brom, Pulis is determined to reinforce his squad before the end of the transfer window.
He said: "If the window closed now we'd be a little bit disappointed, so we are still looking to strengthen a few other areas if we can."
