Should West Brom sell Saido Berahino in January?

Talented young West Brom striker Saido Berahino has been linked with a January move

West Brom’s appointment of the Premier League equivalent of Bear Grylls in Tony Pulis seems to have given the Baggies a fantastic chance of surviving the drop this season.

The former-Stoke boss kicked-off his spell in charge of the Baggies with a 7-0 FA Cup mauling of non-League Gateshead on Sunday.

The star of the show was in-demand youngster Saido Berahino, who found the net four times, but caused speculation by the fact that he did not celebrate his goals.

The youngster has since played down his lack of celebration. The striker just dismissed it as doing his job, which against such modest opposition is probably sensible.

Goals

This season he has scored 12 goals in all competitions, including eight goals in the top-flight, despite not always starting for the Baggies. His ten goals in 13 appearances for England under-21’s is also a creditable record.

The Burundi-born forward looks like a natural born goalscorer, which he has proved in a very average Baggies team in the last few seasons.

Speculation

Speculation has been rife that the 21-year-old could be sold in January, with Liverpool and Spurs being mooted as possible destinations. The striker is highly-rated after enjoying his breakthrough campaign last season.

Talk of a possible move away from the Midlands club has not been dissuaded by the Baggies hierarchy. In fact it seems that the West Brom board and owners would be willing to sell the young striker in order to found any possible transfer deals in January.

A fee in the region of £20million has been suggested, but whether any other Premier League clubs would be willing to pay that amount of money for the young striker in January is debatable.

Gamble

Berahino is a talented young player with a lot of potential, but he is far from the finished article as a player. He does have a tendency to drift out of games, like any youngster at the top level really. His attitude has also been brought into question after off-the field problems.

Berahino moved to England at the age of ten from war-torn Burundi, without being able to speak English, but found that football helped him acclimatise to life in his new homeland, so the game is crucial to the youngster.

Tony Pulis is experienced enough to deal with whatever the youngster can throw at him and the Welshman has already revealed that he believes he can get the best out of Berahino. The 56-year-old is not a man to let a challenge distract him from the job at hand.

Difficult

Pulis has taken over a team that is aging and full of players that could be described as average Premier League players. There are a few players in the squad who have the ability to add something special to the team in Berahino and attacking midfielder Stephane Sessegnon, but the rest are regarded as good honest professionals.

In many ways the Baggies players are at a similar level to the group of players he had at Stoke. One thing that you can guarantee from a Pulis team is that they will be well organised and solid at the back.

The team is in a better position than Crystal Palace were in the league when Pulis arrived last season, although they are just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Pulis is likely to want to bring in new players to improve his squad, but the Baggies are not known for splashing out in the transfer market, with the £10million summer signing of Brown Ideye an exception to the rule of course.

It is unknown whether Pulis will have to sell to buy in January, or if he has funds available to bring in players. Selling Berahino would raise cash, but it would also mean losing one of the most exciting young talents in the British game.

Summer

Tony Pulis has never been relegated as a boss and with the Welshman in charge West Brom look likely to survive the drop this season. Maybe the Baggies should consider keeping hold of their talented young striker and then if there are any offers in the summer then maybe consider their position.

Berahino has a lot to offer the team and he has the goalscoring knack, which is a vital attribute for any team, but for a team fighting against relegation it can be a deciding factor in surviving the drop or being relegated.

It remains to be seen if Berahino will stay at the Hawthorns in January, but if he does stay then I am pretty sure that Tony Pulis will get the best out of the striker for the rest of the season.

Should West Brom sell Saido Berahino in January?