A look at Saido Berahino’s season so far and his West Brom future

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How has Saido Berahino fared so far this season for West Bromwich Albion? And what is in store for his Hawthorns future?

Saido Berahino and West Brom are stuck with each other for at least another four months. So why not make the best of a bad situation? If only it were that simple.

Berahino started in West Brom’s opening day fixture away at Crystal Palace – playing just behind Salomon Rondon. Albion came away with a 1-0 victory but chances were few and far between. Berahino willingly put in a shift off the ball but did little on it. After the game, Pulis was still full of praise for his contribution to the team.

On August 20, West Brom suffered their first defeat of the season at home against Everton. Berahino started in a similar role but grew visibly frustrated as the game passed him by. The forward had to drop deep to get involved in the game but looked uncomfortable on the ball. He was substituted for Rickie Lambert on 78 minutes after a disappointing afternoon.

Lambert and Berahino started upfront together in the EFL Cup defeat against Northampton Town. Berahino had opportunities in front of goal and should have wrapped up the game for West Brom at 1-2 but he was denied by Northampton keeper Adam Smith. His confidence seemed to rapidly drain as the match progressed. The cup-tie went to penalties and Berahino missed the decisive spot kick to hand Northampton a big upset.

Berahino was then dropped to the bench for Middlesbrough’s visit to The Hawthorns. He had to wait until the 72nd minute to come on and did so to a splattering of boos from the home support. The Baggies and Boro played out a 0-0 bore draw and Berahino is still awaiting his first goal of the season. He was then given time off over the international break and did not feature in the midseason friendly against Delhi Dynamos.

The Berahino-saga has now dragged on far too long now, but with the Burundi born forward’s contract expiring in June, the end is in sight. Another uninspiring season will not help Berahino get his desired move and it is a real possibility that he looks to move abroad. Such a move would cause West Brom to miss out on the sizeable tribunal fee they would have received had he joined another English club.

One of Berahino’s biggest issues may be Tony Pulis. Berahino has struggled to find a role in Pulis’ side, as the Head Coach prefers the physicality of Rondon to lead the line. When Berahino does play, he is asked to drop deep and help out the midfield when the opposition have the ball. Berahino has a natural talent for goalscoring but it is difficult to find those positions when you always have to be thinking about picking up the opposition’s spare midfielder.

Imagine Kevin Phillips in his goalscoring prime having to drop-in and help the team defensively – while Roman Bednar chased long balls forward. Hal Robson-Kanu will be more suitable for this role than Berahino, and the Welshman’s arrival could limit Berahino’s opportunities even further.

However, the addition of Nacer Chadli should lift Berahino. Albion desperately needed to add genuine quality in the final third and Chadli offers precisely that. If he is not restricted too much in Pulis’ system, then Chadli could provide the spark that reignites Berahino’s dwindling West Brom career.

Berahino and Pulis must find the answers fast. The 23-year-old has too much quality to be sitting on the bench every week or to be wasted in an ineffectual position. The biggest losers in this whole saga has been the West Brom fans – robbed of a home-grown talent that they could get behind and embarrassed by an unnecessarily public fallout. This nightmare could still have a happy ending.