In what has been one of the most protracted transfer sagas in Premier League history, Stoke City finally got their man last Friday, signing West Bromwich Albion forward Saido Berahino for a guaranteed £12 million, which could rise to a possible £15 million.
The 23-year-old has signed a five-and-a-half year contract with the Potters and could even be in line to make his debut against Everton on February 1.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Stoke boss Mark Hughes believes Berahino can kick-start his career after a difficult few years in the wilderness at West Brom:
“He has a lot of untapped potential. Clearly, he is a player of good talent and somebody who has a lot of growth in the game still to come. He has already displayed his talents in the Premier League and proven that he can score goals at this level, which was a real attraction not only to us, but also to a lot of other clubs who were interested in him. I just feel that he has the potential to be the striker that we have been looking for for a long time – he is capable of creating chances and he is certainly capable of converting chances too.”
The History
Born in Burundi, Berahino moved to England at the age of 10, and linked up with the West Bromwich Albion academy a year later.
He progressed all the way to the first-team, signing his first professional contract in the summer of 2011.
Berahino spent loan spells at then League Two side Northampton Town and then League One outfit Brentford during the 2011/12 campaign, scoring six goals in 14 league appearances for the Cobblers, while he struck four times in eight outings for Brentford.
He made his West Brom debut in a League Cup tie against Yeovil Town in August 2012, before joining Championship side Peterborough United on loan.
In 10 league appearances for Peterborough, Berahino registered two goals and a pair of assists, but he’d have to wait until the 2013/14 season to make his Premier League debut for the Baggies.
Berahino gained the support of then Baggies boss Steve Clarke and would enjoy a successful first season in the top flight, registering five goals and two assists in 32 outings.
The 2014/15 campaign then saw Berahino really establish himself as one of the most promising young forwards in the Premier League, totalling 14 goals and one assist from 38 appearances.
But Berahino has struggled over the past 18 months, firstly managing just four goals in 31 matches in 2015/16, while he has featured only four times in the Premier League this season.
Berahino has represented England in all the age groups through to the U21s, but despite being called up to the senior squad in November 2014, the striker has yet to make his full debut.
The Prospects
Given that Stoke have been in desperate need of a striker for a number of seasons, and are long-time suitors of Berahino, everything looks to be in place for the 23-year-old to fulfil his potential at the bet365 Stadium.
As Hughes touched upon in his quotes, Berahino is a player who boasts many different qualities.
His finishing is probably his main strength, with his predatory instincts similar to those of a player such as Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe.
The problem in the short-term at least is it’s been a while since we saw Berahino burst onto the scene, and with the forward having been the subject of some off the field issues in recent years, it’s his attitude that will be under the microscope just as much as his football.
His fitness levels will also be interesting to assess at Stoke, given that Tony Pulis twice sent him to France earlier this season to undergo specialist programmes.
From a footballing point of view, Berahino has proven he can operate as a lone striker and could thrive in the 4-2-3-1 formation currently being used by Hughes.
Marko Arnautovic, Joe Allen and Xherdan Shaqiri provide plenty of creativity from the attacking midfield positions and could be well suited to playing alongside a frontman such as Berahino, who also offers an option on the left flank.
But the former West Brom forward also enjoyed success alongside a “target man” such as Victor Anichebe, and given that Hughes has experimented with many different formations this season, he could also thrive alongside current first-choice Peter Crouch in either a 3-5-2 or perhaps even a 4-4-2.
That could see Allen drop into a slightly deeper midfield role, though, which would hurt the stock of the 11.5% owned midfielder.
Interestingly, Crouch has come out this week and said he would relish the chance to form a strike partnership with Berahino, similar to the one he and Defoe struck up earlier in his career:
“Hopefully with Berahino coming in we can work together rather than replacing each other. I had a fantastic relationship with Jermain Defoe and it would be great to try to get that kind of partnership going with Saido. Obviously, I’ve played up there with Jon Walters before he got his injury and if that’s the case then it would be great.”
There’s little doubt the acquisition has placed some doubt as to whether Crouch will remain a regular starter for the Potters, though, which will come as a blow to his 4.1% ownership in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
His place may well be safe in the short-term, however, given that it’s unlikely Berahino will have the required match sharpness to make an immediate impact on Hughes’ first XI.
The uncertainty clearly isn’t great news regarding the prospects for either player, then, given that Stoke have a pretty kind run of fixtures (EVE, wba, CPL, tot, MID) over the next month or so.
After starting the season priced at 6.5 in FPL, Berahino is now available for just 6.0.
Considering that the new signing would also seem likely to claim Stoke’s spot-kicks, that price, once an established figure in Hughes’ side, begins to look very attractive.
If Hughes is able to bring the best out of the 23-year-old, that could well prove to be something of a bargain over the coming months. But with Crouch in such great form of late, and uncertainty surrounding Berahino’s fitness levels, it may take some time before we see the new boy establish himself in the starting XI.
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