West Bromwich Albion’s chances of beating relegation from the Premier League would be greatly reduced if Saido Berahino leaves the club this January.
West Brom have made one of the best signings of 2015 so far by acquiring the services of new manager Tony Pulis. He will undoubtedly improve the current situation at West Brom and it’s been reported that he will be given a massive £30 million to spend this month on new players.
Although there is a large transfer budget available, keeping Berahino should be the top priority for Pulis this month. He’s returned to form after a mid-season dip, ending a 10-game drought in the Premier League by taking his goal against West Ham very well. He then went on to smash four goals past Gateshead in the FA Cup, reminding everyone at the club of his scoring credentials. The England under-21 international is the top scorer at West Brom by a long way with 13, 11 more than anyone else has managed.
Clearly, Berahino’s goals have been one of the main reasons as to why West Brom are not in the bottom three at the moment. Although this may be the case, the Baggies currently sit just one point from safety. This will be alarming reading for West Brom fans, and Pulis himself, as Berahino clearly needs to stay if the goals are going to keep coming for the west-midlands side.
Rumours of interest from the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will no doubt appeal to Berahino who has the capabilities to perform at the highest level in the Premier League. However, Pulis will feel that he can persuade his star striker to stay at the Hawthorns now that he is fully in charge of team affairs. If Pulis can keep hold of his striker, it means that West Brom won’t have to hunt for a replacement in January and can focus on strengthening in other areas of the pitch.
If Berainho does decide to depart, it could result in West Brom really struggling in the second half of the season. The club would receive around £20 million for the 21-year-old, more than enough to buy a replacement or two. However, the Baggies spent a bit of money in the summer transfer window, most noticeably on striker Brown Ideye, who has yet to hit the ground running despite his £10 million switch from Dynamo Kiev.
West Brom will want to avoid a similar recruitment process in January if Berahino were to leave but a new manager always means new transfer targets. Therefore, although the young striker’s departure could put West Brom in danger of being relegated, there is nobody better than Tony Pulis in that particular situation. If Alan Irvine was still at the club, you wouldn’t put a lot of money on West Brom surviving, even if Berahino stayed put.
The rumoured departure of Berahino may worry West Brom fans but there is still the potential for the club to really push on this month. The ideal scenario would be Berahino staying put whilst Pulis gets to spend £30 million on good players that can really lead the club forward.
Priority number one must be keeping their star striker at the club. If this doesn’t happen, West Brom will feel that avoiding relegation will be a good achievement come the end of the season.
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