Tony Pulis reveals delight at Middlesbrough renaissance

Boro have impressively forced themselves into firm top-six contention in the Championship under Neil Warnock in 2020-21, while operating to tight financial parameters.

In his current role at Wednesday, Pulis - who left Boro at the end of his 18-month contract in May 2019 - is also assigned with stabilising a leading Championship club.

The Welshman recently spoke about chairman Dejphon Chansiri spending £350million in his own pursuit of success and the need to ‘get the ship pointing in the right direction again.’

On potential similarities between the position when he came in at Boro - shortly before the opening of the New Year transfer window in 2018 - and the situation he is facing with the Owls,

Pulis said: “Middlesbrough was a lot different if you look at what Steve spent (on transfers). Steve Gibson is a smashing man and a friend and a very, very good man in lots of respects.

“The money Steve spent and gave the (previous) manager (Garry Monk) to spend was over £55million. The wage bill was absolutely horrendous when you think of it.

“It was really trying to get the best out of what we had then, but also to readdress and reset the football club.

“Steve Gibson did not want to sell (Adama) Traore, (Patrick) Bamford and his nephew (Ben Gibson). You can go on and on; (Cyrus) Christie was sold, (Adam) Forshaw was sold..There were lots of players that people do not realise.

“I think there were 16 players that we actually moved on. It was a different scenario than what we have got at Sheffield.

“But it was still very, very difficult. You are managing a football club and I managed a football club at Middlesbrough very much for the chairman.

“He is a long-term friend and it is smashing to see they are doing well now after the two or three years of really resetting their football club and putting it back together.

“Hopefully, people will recognise that I played a little bit of a part in that, but you don’t always get the credit for it.”