Former West Bromwich Albion forward Saido Berahino has admitted that it took him years to get over his failed transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 26-year-old currently plays for Belgian top-flight side Zulte Waregem, after he was released by Stoke City this summer, but he was a key player for West Brom in the Premier League a few seasons ago.

Berahino came through the academy at the Hawthorns and was able to establish himself in the first team for the Baggies, scoring 20 goals in all competitions during the 2014/15 season.

His impressive performances for Albion attracted the attention of Spurs, who had a bid to sign him rejected in August 2015.

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In an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Berahino has now opened up about the frustrations he faced at West Brom and has admitted that it took him years to get over missing out on his move to Spurs.

“That’s when the misery started. As a player you want to go to the top and that was Tottenham. But the owner of West Brom wanted to sell the club,” Berahino told Het Nieuwsblad.

“And I – two times the team’s top scorer, young international, twice The Young Player of The Year – was the most valuable asset of West Brom. That’s why he didn’t let me go. If he sold me, he could not sell the club for so much money.

“I didn’t understand that and couldn’t handle it. It was a selfish decision. I took it personally. I can now give lay it to rest, but that took me years. I blamed others. It killed me.”

Berahino struggled to make an impact for West Brom after that and eventually left the club to join Stoke for £12million in January 2017, although he scored just five goals in 56 appearances for the Potters before his exit this summer.

The Verdict

Berahino was an exciting young player and he scored quite a few of goals for West Brom in the Premier League. He was a very talented player and a move to Spurs would have offered him the chance to take his career to the next level, but it wasn't to be.

To be fair to Berahino, it's easy to understand why he was so disappointed and frustrated. It's not every day you get the chance to join a big club like Spurs and the fact that he was denied the chance must have been very difficult for a young player to take.

He hasn't been the same player since then, and that could well be part of the reason why things didn't work out for him at West Brom or Stoke after that. Hopefully he'll be able to get his career back on track in Belgium.