West Bromwich Albion have surprised one and all this season with Tony Pulis going for the jugular with his Baggies’ team. The former Stoke boss has been known to prefer a bland and physical approach trying to nullify the opponents with their physical and obtrusive brand of football. He got you the results, or rather the security of midtable but his football hardly ever thrilled the fans or the neutrals for that matter.
And quite expectedly, the fans demanded a better and more constructive brand of football from their manager during the close of the season. And boy has he delivered! He got the likes of Phillips, Chadli and Robson-Kanu in summer to complement the likes of Rondon and the move has paid dividends. They are currently nestled in the lofty heights in the 8th spot and are just a point away from Everton who can be considered as the best amongst the rest of the division as the Top 6 are presently in a league of their own.
The added advantage for Pulis is that they have an untapped resource in Saido Berahino who has played truant with the club over the last couple of years and is definitely on his way out. The player is certainly an asset for them considering the fact that he will surely have suitors in the market and also the fact that he can be used as a makeshift in deals to bolster their squad.
And if latest reports are to be believed, that is exactly what the Baggies are preparing to do. Tony Pulis is busy constructing a move for Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke, and they are reportedly offering Saido Berahino plus cash in return.
Although Benteke moved to Palace in a £30m deal in the summer, he hasn’t had resounding success at his new club. He has undoubted qualities but they are of a different ilk and there might be a case where the other players are not being able to gel with him.
Sam Allardyce has overseen 4 games since coming on board and he has drawn 2 and lost 2 with his team scoring just twice. Although he has said he is not interested in selling his star man, a more agile and flexible Saido Berahino plus cash in return will be an enticing option. And with a £100,000 player off their books, a good amount of cash can be used in bolstering areas such as left-back and central midfield.
The deal will not be the most simple one but one which is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
