Ex-West Brom boss Tony Pulis criticises Guochuan Lai for getting rid of ‘real Albion people’
Tony Pulis has hit out at West Brom owner Guochuan Lai for getting rid of what he describes as “proper Albion people” during his time at the club, saying it left him with doubts at the time.
Pulis criticised the exits of David Kemp, Mark Jenkins and Richard Garlick, whom he had a good working relationship with, but who were then replaced by people with no knowledge of the club.
Lai has been under pressure as a result of the club’s recent financial issues, with fans calling for him to sell the club as his absence from involvement continues to cause critical problems at The Hawthorns.
Speaking on the Baggies Broadcast podcast, Pulis shared his view on the owner during his time as manager at The Hawthorns, stating: “I met with Mr Lai and I have to say he was brilliant, we went to Hong Kong and had a good chat about things.
“At the end of that season, I signed a new deal, but Kempy (David Kemp) had left, Jeremy, Mark (Jenkins) and Richard (Garlick) were leaving and a bit of me thought about what it was going to be like.
“I had great respect for John (Williams, chairman), but there were people coming in with recruitment and this and that, and the people I had fed off, the togetherness and Albion knowledge, real Albion people, had drifted away, and I had doubts in my mind.
“The pre-season we went to China which is something I wouldn’t usually do.”
Further concerns continue to pop up
It seems like a new concern arises around Lai’s ownership every week at the moment. The financial situation at West Brom is a scary one, and the chairman is showing no sign of making any changes to his role at the club, continuing to put it at risk.
Just one month ago on 18 August, the Price of Football podcast raised concerns around a £2million loan taken out, which has already passed multiple repayment dates, claiming it could rise to £10million by March 2025.
The situation was described as “deeply concerning“, while the Baggies were said to be needing to sell players in the transfer window if they wanted to spend heavily on the squad, despite there being no guarantees that any money raised from player sales would be reinvested.
Managing director Mark Miles shared in an interview earlier in the summer that he agrees with their frustrations around the club, but Lai is aware of the fans’ anger towards him, but there is no plan for further investment.
In other West Brom news, a duo could be in line for further game time after recent Corberan comments.