West Ham United defender James Collins has revealed that then Stoke City boss Tony Pulis was close to signing him in 2009.
Pulis is the current manager of West Bromwich Albion, who will take on the Hammers in a Premier League encounter on Saturday.
Collins insisted that although he was close to joining Pulis’ Stoke, Aston Villa snapped him up from West Ham, with the Wales international then returning to Upton Park after a three-year spell with the Villains.
And the 32-year-old, who recently recovered from a hamstring injury, explained that he is expecting a tough outing against the Baggies at the weekend, but he is still confident about his side bagging the full three points at the Hawthorns.
“I almost signed for [Pulis] a couple of years back when he was at Stoke”, Collins told his club’s official site.
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“I went to Villa a couple of days later instead, though.
“He is from Newport and grew up not far from me, so I’ve always had a good bit of banter with him. I know boys that have played for him, but he’s a great manager and a great man.
“He gets his teams working hard and it’s going to be tough on Saturday. We’re confident though that we can get the three points.
“I am dying to get back on the pitch and play my part in the rest of the season.”
Collins, whose present contract with West Ham runs until the summer of 2018, has made 28 appearances in all competitions for the east London outfit in the present campaign.
He also has 46 caps and three goals for Wales to his name.
