23 Sept 2015

Better than Benteke? Redknapp hails 'exciting' £30m attacker who wanted Liverpool transfer in January

During the January transfer window, Liverpool were repeatedly linked with a move for West Brom rebel Saido Berahino, who was allegedly the club's top transfer target. The deal didn't go through, and when the same fate befell his mooted transfer to Spurs this summer, the 22-year old blew a gasket, and claimed he'd never play for West Brom again. Well, that turned out to be an empty threat; Berahino is back in the West Brom team, and ex-Red Jamie Redknapp remains impressed with the young striker's ability.

Back in January, Berahino reportedly 'preferred' a move to Anfield, and after discovering that West Brom reject FOUR separate bids from Spurs (including a final bid on transfer deadline day), Berahino tweeted:

"Sad how I cant say exactly how the club has treated me, but I can officially say I will never play for Jeremy Peace [West Brom Chairman".

Berahino made his first start for over a month on Saturday, and ended up scoring West Brom's winning goal against Aston Villa.

In his column for the Daily Mail this week, Redknapp - who last month blasted the striker for his ridiculous stance - enthused:

"Tony Pulis has managed the situation very well. Berahino is an exciting young player [and] now he just needs to keep his head down and play".

The Berahino transfer saga is sure to kick off again in January, and West Brom reportedly want £30m, which is a ridiculous figure for a 22-year old who's achieved nothing in the game.

That said, with insane transfer fees flying around for similarly-aged players (£49m for Sterling; £58m for Martial), West Brom clearly believe they can fleece one of the big boys with this deal. Good luck to them I say!

It's easy to see why Brendan Rodgers was interested. With his pace, power, and finishing ability, Berahino is basically Daniel Sturridge mk2.

The major difference is that Sturridge cost a comparative pittance, and given his subsequent injury history, it's now easy to understand why Chelsea let him go so cheaply. But I digress...

Berahino is arguably quicker/more mobile than Christian Benteke, but is he a better option than the Belgian? Who of the two is more suited to Liverpool's style of play? Did Liverpool sign the wrong player?




Author: Jaimie K


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