Tony Pulis: West Brom must recruit over summer

Albion spent the majority of 2017 in eighth place, but finished in tenth after Swansea roared back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium.

Defeat means the Baggies won just five points from their last 12 games after hitting 40 points at the end of February.

And Pulis, who watched Salomon Rondon fluff his lines up front again, described the defending for Jordan Ayew's equaliser as 'absolutely shocking'.

He's flying over to Guangzhou tomorrow to speak to owner Guochuan Lai, and will point to this run as evidence the team needs strikers and defenders.

"It's disappointing," he said. "The final games of the season have highlighted the fact we need to be better in both thirds of the pitch.

"The opportunities we had when we were in control of the game are there to be taken and we have to take those chances.

"Their first (Swansea) goal is a third division goal. Sigurdsson has got great quality, but our marking is absolutely shocking from two defenders.

"That is what has happened. We've been leading games this year. Even if we were a little bit more stubborn we would have drawn games and won games which we haven't.

"We haven't been able to see them out. We need to improve at both ends of the pitch.

"Even if the forwards aren't playing that well, even if we're not creating opportunities, if you go one-nil up I expect us to defend a lot better than we have done over the previous six or seven games."

Rondon was wasteful in front of goal again, and the £12million signing ended the season with eight goals, and just one since mid-December.

But Pulis refused to criticise the Venezuelan and asked Lai to give him more competition.

"Ask the two centre-halves, Salomon's been a handful this season and played really well," he said. "He's needed a little bit more a back up.

"Hal (Robson-Kanu) has had a hamstring injury last couple of weeks, when he's come on he's livened it up for us. But we need to strengthen both ends of the pitch for next year."

Albion took the lead through a Jonny Evans header shortly after the half-hour, their 16th goal of the season from a corner.

They should have extended their lead in the second half when Rondon went through on goal after robbing Federico Fernandez of possession, but the striker dallied in possesion and allowed Leon Britton to catch him up.

Ayew equalised in the 72nd minute after Llorente headed Sigurdsson's free-kick back across goal, and then the Spanish striker swept home his 15th goal of the season four minutes from time.

"Swansea having a free week and us playing Man City might have caught us a little bit," said Pulis.

"But we had good opportunities before they scored. That's not just shots at goal or Salomon missing that effort when he's through, that is oportunities to play people in and better quality with that final pass and cross."

Pulis played three at the back and loaded the midfield, while leaving Allan Nyom and Chris Brunt as wing-backs. But he said it wasn't an end-of-season experiment.

"It was just the way Swansea set up," said Pulis. "They played with a diamond and we thought we'd match them in midfield and instead of four marking their two we'd have three marking their two and I thought it worked really well for an hour. Then we got a little bit tired and stretched."