West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis has spoken of his delight over the club's current status, commenting on transfer rumours that linked defender Jonny Evans to both Arsenal and Liverpool at the start of the season, as part of an interview withthe Daily Mail.
The Baggies are doing remarkably well under the former Stoke City and Crystal Palace manager, and are attracting some high profile names, with Manchester United's Morgan Schneiderlin reportedly close to an £18m move.
The French international would join the likes of Evans and Darren Fletcher as former Red Devil stars who have moved to the Hawthorns, and Pulis is delighted to be able topick players of such calibre, claiming it to be a sign of where the club is.
He said: "I think bringing those sort of players in is good but there is a serious barrier you have to break down at times. It's important when and if you get the chance to speak to these players that you stress they only have a small career, they should be squeezing the pips out of playing.
See what Tony Pulis had to say as he addressed the media ahead of Albion's clash with @Arsenal on Boxing Day.#WBAhttps://t.co/kbhFKQ7KKn
"This is a very good club to be at. It's an opportunity to play. Jonny Evans is just one example, a person who could not get in United's team is suddenly being linked with Arsenal and Liverpool.
"The big picture is we're trying to get players into this club who will progress us over a period of time. But a lot of players not in their teams still prefer to be at the so-called bigger clubs rather than playing week in and week out.
"They still prefer the protection of that bigger club rather than having to go to another club and having to work and play and earn their money.There are big problems everywhere in the industry because of finances and the way football is. The spectacle of the game and the enormity of it rides high with certain players, more so than sometimes playing football."