West Bromwich Albion reportedly hope to appoint Tony Pulis as their new head coach before the weekend.
The former Crystal Palace and Stoke City boss has been the frontrunner to take the Hawthorns vacancy since Alan Irvine was sacked on Monday evening, with the club 16th in the table and having suffered seven defeats in their last nine games.
Sky Sports News claims that Pulis's concerns over the club's hierarchy have been satisfactorily addressed by director of football Richard Garlick and technical director Terry Burton during discussions over the last 48 hours.
They have apparently stressed that, despite Pulis working under the head coach mantra that Pepe Mel, Steve Clarke and Roberto di Matteo have before him, the Welshman will have full control of transfer dealings.
Tim Sherwood had previously been in consideration, only to be deterred by Albion's boardroom structure for the second time in six months, but Pulis has always been first choice after guiding Palace to Premier League safety last season, before quitting the Eagles in the summer.
The 56-year-old is unlikely to be confirmed as Baggies boss in time for their New Year's Day trip to West Ham United, but could be in charge for the FA Cup tie with Gateshead Town on Saturday.
Joe Fish
