Sunday 26 February 2017 09:44, UK
Saido Berahino is hoping to make his first start for Stoke against Tottenham on Nissan Super Sunday. Could he show the club who once coveted his signature what they're missing? It will require plenty of hard work from a player who lost his way at West Brom…
There were plenty of reasons for scepticism when Stoke agreed a £15m deal for Saido Berahino in January. The striker brought with him a troublesome reputation dating back to his teenage years, he hadn't made a single appearance for West Brom since September, and his contract situation meant he was only six months away from being available for free.
A few weeks later, it emerged the 23-year-old had served an eight-week suspension after testing positive for a recreational drug earlier in the season. Stoke were aware of the ban when they signed him, but the revelation prompted a spat between Mark Hughes and Tony Pulis and served as a reminder of just how drastically Berahino had lost his way.
It also intensified the atmosphere for Berahino's return to his former club at the start of the month. The striker was a second-half substitute at the Hawthorns and received a predictably hostile reception from the home supporters, who took great satisfaction in watching their side consign Stoke to a 1-0 defeat.
All in all, it has been what you might call an inauspicious start. But Stoke have no regrets. "We have brought in a player with great ability, of a good age who hasn't reached his peak yet," said Hughes. "Saido's a great player and he's going to be a great player for us," added Ryan Shawcross.
Indeed, after such a problematic period at West Brom, it is easy to lose sight of Berahino's ability. Steve Clarke described him as "the best player on the pitch" when he scored a hat-trick on his senior debut in a League Cup tie against Newport County in August 2013, and just over a year later Alan Irvine was comparing him to Ian Wright.
They were not his only admirers. Berahino earned an England call-up from Roy Hodgson on his way to scoring 20 goals in 45 appearances in 2014/15. Harry Kane and Charlie Austin were the only English players to score more in the Premier League, with Berahino's clever movement and clinical finishing marking him out as a precocious - albeit temperamental - talent.
Speculation over his future predictably followed, with Tottenham emerging as his strongest suitors. Mauricio Pochettino's side pursued Berahino throughout the summer of 2015, but by the time the transfer window closed, their offers of between £20m-£30m had been repeatedly rejected. It prompted Berahino to angrily declare he would never play for Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace again.
It was an ill-advised outburst, and while he did eventually return to the fold, the Tottenham transfer saga was certainly a turning point in his career at the Hawthorns. The 23-year-old was in and out of the team under Pulis in 2015/16, scoring just seven goals in 35 appearances. England did not come calling again.
But while Sunday's trip to White Hart Lane will be a reminder of what might have been for Berahino, his focus is now firmly on Stoke. His half-hour cameo against West Brom was his second substitute appearance since the move to the Britannia, and he is targeting his first start against Spurs.
History suggests that how he fares in his new surroundings will depend largely on his mind-set and application, but there have already been encouraging noises from the club. "He has trained every day and looks really sharp," said Hughes at the end of January. "We have been really encouraged by what we have seen in training."
It's promising for a side in desperate need of goals. Stoke may sit ninth in the Premier League table, but they have scored fewer times than relegation-threatened Crystal Palace and Swansea this season. They need Berahino to start firing, so his comments this week provided further encouragement.
"I have been doing a lot of work with the group but also a lot, every day, away from them too, to make sure I am getting my levels right back up to where we want them to be," Berahino told Stoke's website. "The extra work has finished now because I am in good condition. Now it is just about maintaining what I have and improving on that with minutes in the Premier League."
It's a new beginning for a player who desperately needed it. Only time will tell whether Berahino can put the off-field issues behind him and finally begin to fulfil his potential on a consistent basis, but Sunday's trip to Tottenham would certainly be a fitting time to start.
