http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/search/?mode=movenav&page_id=10514
Saints have completed the signing of Anthony Pulis from Stoke City on a free transfer.
The former Wales under-21 international has penned a two year deal at St. Mary's bringing an end to his four year spell at the Britannia Stadium.
The combative midfielder originally came to the Potters in December 2004 and enjoyed loan spells with Bristol Rovers, Torquay United, Grimsby Town and Plymouth Argyle.
24-year old Anthony is the son of Stoke boss Tony, but has opted to further his chances of first team football at St. Mary's, following Stoke City's promotion to the Premier League.
He is currently out of action following a training ground injury picked up last week, but is expected to make a swift recovery.
Pulis was on show at St. Mary's during Stoke City's pre-season friendly at the start of August and becomes the second bit of business between the two club's, following the departure of defender Andrew Davies.
Head coach Jan Poortvliet said: "Anthony a good footballing player and he's young. That's good for us and he wants to prove himself. Maybe that will be easier at a club where the boss is not his Dad!" he joked.
"At the moment he's out injured but we look forward to seeing what he can do when he's back to full fitness. We now have a lot of competition for places and Anthony will certainly add to that in midfield."
http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/search/?mode=movenav&page_id=10515
The latest addition to Jan Poortvliet's squad comes in the form of central midfielder Anthony Pulis, although fans will have to wait a little longer before they find out exactly what he is made of…
The 24-year old joins Saints from Stoke City on an initial two year contract, and is delighted that the paperwork on the deal has now been finalised.
"I'm pleased to get it all wrapped up before the close of the transfer window," Pulis said, "and I'm looking forward to what I hope will be an exciting new challenge."
The deal has, in fact, been on the cards for some time since the two sides met at the start of the month. Pulis explains how the deal came about.
"We played in pre-season and I think it started from there, as I heard soon afterwards that Southampton had made enquiries.
"I was interested straight away, and I think that my style of play suits the style that Jan Poortvliet is trying to adopt down here. I knew it was a great club and it should be in the Premiership, but fans might have to be a bit patient while the young team gels together.
"They've already made a great start to the season though and I'm really looking forward to getting involved."
After a decent performance at St. Mary's caught a few people's eyes, Pulis suffered an injury in training that he feared might put the whole move in jeopardy.
"I had a collision in training after putting in a tackle and my studs stuck in the ground. It twisted my right foot and I had a scan, which showed that my fifth metatarsal bone was broken.
"These things happen in football, but it's disappointing to have to start life at a new Club with an injury. It's frustrating, but everyone at Saints has been fantastic about it and hopefully I will be back in no time."
"My first task now is to get fit, and then try and get into the team. I had a good pre-season and 5 or 6 weeks of training before the injury happened, so that will give me a bit of a head start when it comes to making a quick recovery."
Having met with head coach Jan Poortvliet during the past week, Pulis was impressed by the Dutchman's outlook on the game and his approach to life in general.
"Jan was great. He was very laid back and told me all about the way he likes to play. He really sold the club to me and I'm looking forward to starting training."
When asked to describe his own footballing philosophy, Pulis answers with a mixture of modesty and honesty, that speak volumes about his own character traits.
"I like playing in the centre of midfield," he explains, "and I can put in a shift. I can play off either foot and I like to keep the ball down and pass it around. I don't mind putting a foot in when it's needed either. I could do with scoring a few more goals though I must admit!"
Although he has represented Wales at Under-21 level, Pulis is moving back to familiar territory having spent much of his childhood in Dorset.
"I grew up in and around Bournemouth from the age of about 3 or 4," he explained, "so it's nice to be coming back to an area I know well."
Aged just 20, he made the move to Stoke City in 2004, where he found himself in a somewhat unusual situation.
"At my previous club it was never an issue, because I was a school boy and my Dad was picking the first team, but at Stoke it was a little different.
"It was difficult at first, but I proved myself on the pitch and I'm looking forward to doing the same at a new club now."
Stoke City's success and eventual promotion last season came as a surprise to many fans, but as Pulis explains, a little team work can go a long way.
"Stoke have done brilliantly," he said. "I think if you said to anyone last year that they'd be in the Premiership then they would have said you were mad. Hopefully they will be able to stay up, but it won't be easy.
"They are assembling a team that won't be easy to play against, and some of the bigger teams certainly won't be looking forward to visiting the Britannia.
"Part of that success was a fantastic sense of team spirit, with everyone pulling in the same direction. From what I've heard, there is the beginnings of something similar at Southampton, with a lot of players around the same age, who all grew up together.
"Hopefully we can use that to our advantage and follow Stoke up into the Premier League."
A logical thought process which, alas, tends to fall foul of the "administration is bad, full stop" brigade on here.... Open mind is the best policy IMHO