With many pointing to a lack of communication from the club in previous years, that certainly can’t be thrown at Albion following the regular updates they have been giving when it comes to the speculated transfer of Saido Berahino to Tottenham Hotspur this transfer window.
Having been kept squarely in the loop when it came to his rejected transfer request, and the bids by Spurs, today has seen another statement released by the club.
In in chairman Jeremy Peace stated that talks had been held with Berahino earlier this afternoon and he was categorically informed that no transfer would take place this window.
Meeting the 22 year old at the training ground, Peace explained.
‘I have informed Saido that he will not be transferred during this summer window and that he is staying at the club. As I have made clear from the moment Tottenham lodged their first bid for Saido on August 18, selling our top goalscorer was never on our agenda this summer. Our plans have always been based on Saido being part of our squad for the 2015-16 season. But there are two other good reasons why he will not be sold.’
Peace goes on to say that those other reasons are simply put – even had we ‘entertained the notion of selling him’ we clearly value him higher than Tottenham Hotspur do given the level of both of their submitted offers.
‘We have not received an offer anywhere near attractive enough from Tottenham Hotspur.’
Furthermore, the schedule of payments proposed by the White Hart Lane outfit have hardly been attractive either.
‘Not only have the offers been too low as a valuation of the player, but they have been based on stage-payments and add-ons over a long period which do nothing to reflect Saido`s ability and potential.’
Peace also rallied against the timing of Tottenham’s offers coming this late on in the window.
‘I have the greatest respect for Daniel Levy but he must surely appreciate we would have needed to replace Saido had he left and no consideration of that position has been reflected by Tottenham`s strategy. It has contributed to our completing our last two games without a key player.’
He ends by saying that of course he has ‘sympathy’ for Saido as clearly to hand in a transfer request his head has been turned and it has left him ‘unsettled and distracted’ but with no deal to be done this summer, the advice to the England youngster is to knuckle down, hit form, hit the net and the future will then take care of itself.
‘I have spoken to Saido and of course I have sympathy for him. He has been unsettled and distracted by all this and I understand that. But I have strongly advised him to put this behind him and get back to what he does best which is to work hard for the team and score goals for Albion.’
I wouldn’t for a second think this will end the speculation ahead of the deadline in September, but it does point to it not being a matter of time before a fee is agreed – although others would say it’s a final ‘put up or shut up’ to Spurs.
In any event I suppose we can buy our tickets for the raft of stories we’ll now get about January moves instead.
Vital West Brom on:
Vital West Brom on:
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