Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers are battling to bring Saido Berahino back to Britain after the Englishman rediscovered his golden touch during a spell at Zulte Waregam, according to TEAMtalk.
It is funny how much difference a year can make. This time 12 months ago, an enigmatic forward once called up for the England national team was about to see his contract at Stoke City terminated, bringing a merciful end to a miserable spell in the Potteries which was high on controversy but short on goals.
Berahino scored just five times in 56 games for the Championship outfit, with a three-year drought highlighting a dramatic fall from grace.
But after stepping out of the limelight with a move to mainland Europe, a man who once hit the net for fun at West Bromwich Albion appears to have put his career back on the right track.
TEAMtalk claims that both Celtic and Rangers have watched Berahino closely in the last few months, and the Scottish Premiership giants will have been impressed by the way he has let his football do the talking in the Jupiler League.
The Burundi international contributed eight goals for Zulte Waregam, with coach Franck Dury describing a man who has often hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons as a ‘model professional’ (talkSPORT, 21 August, 10am).
The penny, it seems, may have dropped at last.
Berahino is out of contract in 2021 and Zulte may be forced to sell, with clubs all over Europe in the midst of a financial crisis. That said, despite an impressive campaign in Belgium, Berahino will be under pressure to prove that this is more than a classic ‘false dawn’.
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