Tony Pulis admits sadness over Saido Berahino controversy at West Brom
Tony Pulis has opened up about the sadness he still feels about how Saido Berahino’s time at West Brom panned out after the striker struggled to rediscover his early career form.
The now 30-year-old striker, was one of the Baggies’ brightest young talents when he managed to score 20 goals for Pulis’ West Brom side in all competitions in the 2014/15 season, but a failed move to Tottenham Hotspur seemed to stunt his career.
Since then Berahino has never managed to reach the same level of form, failing to find the net consistently for Stoke City and Sheffield Wednesday alongside spells in Belgium and Cyprus and Pulis still is disappointed with how his career panned out.
Speaking to the Express and Star (4 September) he said: “He was fantastic in that season for me and I liked him. The opportunity to go to Spurs really impacted him, and I’m convinced his agent told him it was definitely going to be done.
“He never, ever reclaimed the form he had shown before which is a sadness. David Kemp was great at seeing things and he said at the time by missing all this training he was never going to be the same player and he turned out correct.
“Like I said, it is sadness and he most probably carries a bit of that every day. I really hope he is okay and enjoying life with a family and he is settled and has got everything he wants, I hope and pray because as a boy I liked him.”
Missed chance
It’s almost strange to remember just how good Berahino was during that season at The Hawthorns, impressing at both club level and scoring goals for fun in the England under-21 side, before with a flick of the switch his career faded as quickly as it had started.
The forward was only young when his behaviour was deemed disruptive following the failed transfer to Spurs and you have to wonder whether those advising him guided him well enough. The Baggies did exactly the right thing by holding out for their valuation before allowing him to depart the club. Most fans would kill for that lethal striker now, or at least somebody worth that amount of money.
There must be some sadness in Berahino that he didn’t maximise the talent he possessed as he was on track to be one of the better forwards in the English game and if he had remained interested in performing for the Baggies he would have likely been loved by the fans.
Carlos Corberan could certainly do with someone capable of scoring the goals that he did in a West Brom shirt, although it’s doubtful the forward would be particularly keen on his high-energy style of football. Hopefully, he can enjoy the remainder of his career.
It would have been interesting to see where both he, and the Baggies would have ended up had the move to Tottenham been completed.
In other West Brom news, Josh Maja needs to find his feet after a slow start to life at the Hawthorns