Friday 4 December 2015 11:24, UK
Tony Pulis says Saido Berahino has not been "anywhere near as good" for West Brom following Tottenham's failed attempt to sign him.
The Hawthorns manager admits he has been disappointed by the return he has had from the 22-year-old so far this season.
In contrast to last term, when he scored 20 times in all competitions for the Midlands side, Berahino has netted just three times this campaign.
Pulis relates the form dip to Tottenham's prolonged campaign to take the player to White Hart Lane, something which ultimately failed after they had several bids - including two on transfer deadline day - rejected.
West Brom play Mauricio Pochettino's men for the first time since then on Saturday and the fixture brings the London club's continuing interest in Berahino back into focus.
Pulis believes the striker's slump has affected his team as a whole. West Brom currently sit 13th in the Premier League, eight points above the relegation zone.
He said: "If you look at last season when I came in, from January 2 to the end of the season, the most influential player at this football club, for me personally, was Saido.
"He got the goals that got us points and kept us in the league and this year we haven't had that. We've played for six months without Saido being anywhere near as good as what he was last year.
"That has had a massive effect on this football club, on the team and on everybody else and it's been disappointing in lots of ways.
We've played for six months without Saido being anywhere near as good as what he was last year.
"I'm not blaming Saido, I'm not blaming anybody - it's just fact. I think there's no question Saido was disappointed the [Tottenham] deal never went through.
"As I've said, there's people within the game who can handle that and there's people in the game who can't.
"It's not any fault of his, it's not any fault of anybody else. It's just the way you're brought up and the character you've got.
"It's been a real disappointment for the team, for the football club and for the supporters because he's an outstanding player and an outstanding talent.
"We haven't had that at the same level as we had last year and I think people have really missed that point."
Berahino was dropped for three games earlier in the season because Pulis was not happy with his frame of mind and he has been on the bench for the last three matches.
Nevertheless, the West Brom manager is adamant his young forward is best off remaining where he is rather than moving to Tottenham.
He added: "He has to get as fit as he was last year and wash everything else away. He has been given a God-given talent but in the last six months he has not fulfilled the potential.
"He needs to get back to that for his own sake. The best place to do it is here. I don't want to get into asking prices and whether he is for sale or not. I'm not interested."
