Tony Pulis: Chelsea and Tottenham failures to sign John Stones and Saido Berahino 'good for football'

West Brom gaffer Tony Pulis has admitted he is happy that both Saido Berahino and Everton defender John Stones failed to complete their big money moves to Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea respectively over the summer, feeling it indicates the start of an era when smaller sides are no longer forced to sell their best players.

Pulis also added that he feels the asking prices for both players will climb even higher in future, due to the strong financial situation at many EPL sides.

Both young English talents handed in transfer requests over the summer, looking to force moves to London. However, both their current clubs managed to block their departures. Chelsea had three bids rejected for Stones, who they see as a long-term replacement for John Terry at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, WBA chairman Jeremy Peace turned down four offers for his striker, including one worth £23m ($35m).

Berahino said in the aftermath of his transfer's collapse that he would never play under Peace again, but he has eventually returned to the West Brom first team.

Pulis has hailed both his club and Everton's ability to prevent bigger sides stealing their players as a declaration of intent for the future.

"I think the stakes are so high now for every club in terms of keeping Premier League football, that unless it's right it won't happen. If it's right then everybody has got a value. I just think the value of people and what's going on has changed," the manager said, as quoted by Standard Sport. "You would have thought that Tottenham would have got Saido at a certain price and you would have thought Chelsea would have got Stones at a certain price so it was nice that it didn't happen, for everybody.

"In my opinion the transfer fees 10 years ago were ridiculous so don't even ask me what I think of them now. The top clubs want the best players, they will spend to get the best players and the market value will keep going up because the money is getting bigger and bigger, especially in the Premier League."