West Brom boss Tony Pulis on the hunt for lower-league gems

The 23-year-old centre-half who helped the Imps reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup this season and win the National League title has been invited to train with the Baggies.

Pulis is desperate to add depth to his 16-man senior squad while bringing the average age down, and he thinks this strategy will help him boost the numbers.

Although he didn't rule out big name signings, he believes spending a fortune on players doesn't necessarily make them the right fit.

"We've talked about re-organising in respect of the scouting side of it and looking at different areas," said Pulis. "What you've got to do is find the players before the players get noticed – that's the secret.

"We've got to do that as well as anyone if not better than most. So you actually get them before they become expensive."

The Baggies host Leicester this weekend, who have Jamie Vardy in fine form with eight goals from his last 12 matches. Vardy was plucked from non-league and cost the Foxes £1million.

Albion have their own scouting success story among their ranks. They signed Craig Dawson from Rochdale a year after he was playing non-league football for Radcliffe Borough and the defender has gone on to make more than 100 Premier League appearances for the Baggies.

"Getting good players is the most important issue," said Pulis. "Never mind how much it costs or doesn't cost.

"We want to stay solvent at this football club, we want to run it professionally.

"It's not just about throwing money down an empty hole, there's a lot of clubs who have done that and not been very successful.

"People have jumped around at signings but the signings haven't been that good. You have to be careful with the money you're given.

"There will be a lot of activity everywhere. We're hoping we can sail under all the steam that's flying around and pick one or two good players out."

Although Pulis said this doesn't mean Albion won't splash the cash on a big name signing this summer, and he understands how such a purchase can boost a club, he did warn at its fleeting impact should those players fail.

"I do think that (feeling) is important but that only lasts a certain amount of time and if the big signing isn't a good player, there are a lot of supporters who change their minds," said Pulis.

"So it's important that it's not a big signing just because it's a big signing – it needs to be a big signing because it can improve the group.

"That's the essence of trying to get players of that size and that magnitiude – it's so, so important that their character is right."

Although Albion are interested in Sean Raggett, Pulis dismissed reports in the national press he was looking at Joe Worrall of Nottingham Forest.

"No, I haven't seen Worrall play so where that's come from I don't know," he said. "We've watched Raggett more than we've watched Worrall. Whether we do anything on that (Raggett), we'll have to wait and see."