Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Diafra Sakho looks set to be on his way from West Ham after they accepted a bid from Premier League side West Brom which was believed to be £16m. With Sakho handing in a transfer request earlier in a month it meant his days in East London were numbered and then it was a waiting game as to who would come in with an escape route away from The Olympic Stadium.
Sakho had an impressive first season at West Ham under Sam Allardyce in the 2014/15 campaign as he registered 10 goals in 23 Premier League apperances but his time under Slaven Bilic hasn’t been as impressive as he could only find the net 5 times last season.
After being out between November and March due to a thigh injury he only really featured as a fringe player when fit When left out of the first team Sakho was very vocal in his displeasure and felt he had no option but to move to pastures new as he saw his game time opportunities lesen further towards the end of season.
Tony Pulis has tabled a bid that meets West Ham’s valuation and looks as if the 26 year old will soon be Hawthorns bound. Does the money spent here though indicate that Saido Berahino will finally be allowed to leave the Black Country.
Berahino was at the heart of one of the most protracted transfer saga’s last Summer as Tottenham repeatedly bidded for the England Under 21 international but the North London clubs valuation was far short of what West Brom were prepared to sell him for.
That led to quite a miserable season for Berahino, it was made quite apparent by him that he no longer wanted to be at The Hawthorns but Tony Pulis and more importantly Chairman Jeremy Peace weren’t prepared to let him leave until their valuation was met.
Tottenham decided not to come back with a bid in January and in fairness by that point they didnt really need him. You almost get the feeling that Mauricio Pochettino dodged a bullet there in not capturing his signature.
Yes Berahino wanted to leave West Brom but it’s hard to envisage where exactly he would fit into a Tottenham system and would the fact he wouldn’t automatically be first choice turn him into a bad apple among the Tottenham squad. Thankfully they are questions we never have to answer.
The lack of game time at West Brom also meant a lack of suitors and it ultimately meant that Berahino had to spend a season in a state of semi exodus where he was never really in Tony Pulis’ plans.
But it seems as if Stoke could be the team to offer a form of salvation, once again Pulis and Peace will want their valuation met but they must also understand that this is a player who didn’t really do anything to enhance his value last season.
At £20m you get the feeling that it could be enough to tempt West Brom to sell and at that price it could be a move that is beneficial to all parties. If Pulis continues not to put his trust in him then that value is only going to go South, therefore don’t be too surprised if West Brom decide to cash in and Berahino makes the short move to Stoke.
