West Brom confirm offer to Abou Diaby
West Brom boss Tony Pulis is confident his medical staff can help him get the best out of transfer target Abou Diaby if he opts to move to the Hawthorns.
Diaby, who was recently released by Arsenal, has a long history of injury problems, but Pulis is a big admirer of the talented midfielder.
And he believes that the club's sports science staff could keep the 29-year-old midfielder fit for the whole Premier League campaign.
He said: "Diaby came in, he had his medical yesterday. We've made him an offer and we shall see.
"The big thing with Abou is getting him fit and having the confidence from the medical team to do that. He is a top player and I mean he is a top, top player.
"We've had a look and we think there are things he can do to improve his chances of playing 30 Premier League games and we're confident we can help him do that.
"Whether he accepts that and the ethos of the football club we'll wait and see."
Should Albion complete the signing of Diaby, he would be their second summer signing.
And the need for reinforcements was underlined, after defender Gareth McAuley limped out of Albion's 4-1 pre-season friendly victory over Swindon this afternoon with a calf strain.
Pulis reckons it's too soon to assess the severity of the injury at this stage but he is hopeful it won't be out for long.
Craig Dawson also missed the match with a thigh strain but is expected to be fit for the start of the season, while Jonas Olsson was rested.
Pulis said: "Olsson needs a rest because he has worked really hard and looked a little bit tired the last few days so we thought we'd give him a rest today.
"Dawson has got a little bit of a thigh strain but he will be OK. We are hoping he will be alright if not for next week then he will certainly be OK for the start of the season."
