Saido Berahino
Saido Berahino has revealed that he ‘dreams’ of a return to West Brom one day. The former Albion striker, who rose through the academy ranks to become a key player at the club for a couple of years under Steve Clarke, Alan Irvine and Tony Pulis, left in acrimonious circumstances for then Premier League rivals Stoke City in January 2017. That was after 18 uncertain months that followed an outburst following a proposed move to Tottenham Hotspur – on the back of his 20-goal season – that never transpired.
Saido Berahino said “I’d like to return to England, I’m meant to be in my prime years now, and I have a point to prove. I’m not the person that people think I am. I know it’s not realistic at the moment because they’re in the Premier League, but I dream of going back to The Hawthorns. The way the fans took to me and chanted my name was unbelievable, and the way it ended was disappointing. I have regrets. I’m wiser now. I’ve learned to appreciate what I’ve been through. In my Twitter bio, there’s a quote: ‘For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’ I was doing a Bible study when I found that sentence, and it hit home.”
Since leaving Stoke, where he had little luck, Berahino has been out in Belgium with Zulte Waregem but he has been on loan this term at Charleroi – interestingly where Albion defender Cedric Kipre is spending the remainder of the season. Berahino, now 27, rightly points out that he ought to be enjoying the best spell of his career around now and certainly feels as though he must still prove plenty of doubters wrong. As regards to Albion, he retains fond memories of the club and greatly desires a return.
