Saido for sale? Berahino’s boss admits striker could be sold

West Brom manager Alan Irvine admits star striker Saido Berahino may be sold if a big club comes in with a good offer.

The prolific poacher has struck five goals in all competitions so far this term, and is perhaps unlucky to miss out on being named in Roy Hodgson’s latest England squad, with Daniel Sturridge still injured. Already he has equalled his tally from last season, and is starting to demonstrate the kind of form that could have big teams circling The Hawthorns very quickly.

Irvine’s team are currently 10th in the Premier League, and are 9/1 with Coral to secure a top 10 finish this season; however, if they lose their talisman, these odds will drift dramatically, unless they receive a handsome sum, and can replace him adequately.

While they still have £10m summer signing Brown Ideye, who has yet to make a significant impact, their scouting needs to be a bit more thorough before they spend any proceeds they get for Berahino. Irvine admitted prior to pre-season that he hadn’t seen the 25-year-old Nigerian play, and that acquiring him was a gamble.

If Berahino does keep performing, there is no doubt he will have a number of suitors. Coral review the possible destinations if bids are made for him as early as January.

Tottenham
Crying out for a striker, the 21-year-old Englishman fits the bill perfectly for Spurs and could easily make the step up. Since Jermain Defoe left, they have lacked an instinctive finisher, and although Emmanuel Adebayor does what he can, the former Togo international is getting to an age where he cannot consistently lead the line. Mauricio Pochettino could do much worse than move for the forward and, with talented attacker Harry Kane coming through, the two protagonists could form a fruitful pairing.

Everton
The assumption is that Samuel Eto’o is a short-term solution up front for the Toffees, providing cover and, although they do have Romelu Lukaku and Steven Naismith, Berahino may add an extra dimension in attack. Roberto Martinez could, in time, have the hottest strike partnership in the Premier League, if he is swayed to make a move for the Baggies frontman.

Manchester City
He is unlikely to start every week if he moves to the champions; however, Manuel Pellegrini never replaced Alvaro Negredo, and the club is under pressure to add English talent to their squad. It would all depend on whether Berahino wants to go and line his pockets, or play football week-in-week-out, though it may prove a shrewd move for City. Should they register an interest, it is likely West Brom will increase their asking price by at least 30 per cent to test their resolve.

Borussia Dortmund
Definitely ‘outside of the box’; however the German outfit, who are a club on the rise in European football, haven’t directly replaced lethal Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, and Berahino would certainly add an extra edge to their attack. It has been suggested that more English players need to go abroad to learn the game, and he could do worse than go and play under Jurgen Klopp, who has helped developed some of the best players in the German game.

If he is indeed sold, and not replaced adequately, the west Midlands club could face a relegation struggle and are 9/4 to go down.