da bwin：
da dobrowin： September 28 will mark the three-year anniversary of Saido Berahino’s first Premier League goal for West Brom. The striker netted from the edge of the area in a 2-1 win at Manchester United during the early days of the David Moyes meltdown and although the Red Devils were roundly castigated for their performances at the time, Berahino was still widely seen as a player destined for the very top.We’re now almost 36 months on from that point and it would be a shock to see the 23-year-old lead the line for the Baggies in their next league tie. How times have changed.
Berahino’s career has been one of controversy and poor decisions, not just on his part, I hasten to add. From being touted as the ‘next big thing’ in English football, the pacey attacker has fallen from beingÂactively courted by some of the Premier League’s elite sides to a player facing a Bosman move next summer when his contract ends. In truth, there was some interest in him ahead of the last transfer deadline. But with Stoke City the team with most seriously linked, the days of £20m+ offers from Spurs seem a world away.
Indeed, Mark Hughes’ men eventually went for Wilfried Bony instead. There are the caveats of the Ivorian’s move to the Potters being a loan and West Brom’s seemingly difficult negotiating stance regarding their man, but it really does cap a worrying fall from grace for Berahino, who in late 2014 was even being talked about as a player on the fringes of the England squad.
So, where did it all goÂwrong for Berahino? This is a tricky question in itself, as it’s hard to pinpoint an exact time.
Arguably, the beginning of the end came when his stock was highest, through 2014/15. Berahino had just notched 14 Premier League goals – a tally equal to Olivier Giroud’s and greater than Wayne Rooney’s – when Spurs came calling throughout the summer, just months after he had told Sky Sports he wanted to move “on to bigger thingsâ€.
The saga reached its head around Deadline Day when a number of bids were sent from the north or London to the West Midlands, all of which were rejected. Berahino reacted in the manner many young men dealt such a frustrating blow would, by taking toÂTwitter to vent his frustration (the tweet below has long since been deleted).
It’s surely no coincidence that his game time almost halved across 2015/16 under the fiercely proud Tony Pulis, who seemingly took his player’s actions as an affront to his ambitions at The Hawthorns.
And that brings us to where we are today – looking at Berahino with around 50% of West Brom’s minutes across five games in the league under his belt. With Salomon Rondon a more reliable option for a Baggies side that will be battling against relegation for the bulk of the campaign, the Burundi-born man looks set for another frustrating season– it’s not great for him that their 4-2 beating of West Ham came while he was confined to the bench for 90 minutes.
It’s hard to envisage a new contract being penned by Berahino before the end of the season. It seems like too much bad blood has been spilled between both player and club and that the best outcome will be a parting of ways. Unlike in previous windows, the striker’s situation won’t hinge on West Brom’s reluctance to commit to a sale, with his looming free-agent status stacking the chips in his favour.
Despite the issues he’s had over the past couple of years and the obvious baggage, Berahino is likely to be hot property. Maybe the horse has bolted on that move to Spurs, but middling Premier League sides will surely be falling over themselves to get their hands on Berahino, regardless of the compensation fee that will be required for his services.
Interestingly, the prospect of a move abroad is open. More and more British players are heading to the continent – Oliver Burke to Red Bull Leipzig and Andre Wisdom to Red Bull’s Swiss side, Salzburg, for example – and the reduced compensation fees for foreign clubsÂmay make him an appealing option to thoseÂin Spain, Germany and potentially even Italy.
From Berahino’s point of view, the time has come to leave. The situation has not become as toxic as it may have given the events that have taken place, but it’s hard to see him fulfilling his potential at the Hawthorns. A fresh start will afford him the chance to enjoy his football again and with a point to prove wherever he may end up, it would be fantastic to see performances akin to those he put in three years ago.