Berahino tweet casts doubt on West Brom future

Saido Berahino has tweeted suggesting he will refuse to play for West Brom again as a move away from The Hawthorns to Tottenham continues to stall.

The 22-year-old striker has been heavily linked with a switch to Tottenham and the London club’s pursuit of the player was criticised by West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace last week.

But, less than an hour before the UK’s transfer window was set to close at 6pm on Tuesday, Berahino appeared to turn his frustrations towards Peace in a remarkable outburst.

Posting on his verified Twitter page, Berahino said: “Sad how I cant say exactly how the club has treated me but I can officially say I will never play Jeremy Peace.”

Berahino scored 14 Premier League goals for West Brom last season, but he has been left out of the club’s past three matches by head coach Tony Pulis amid growing speculation over his future.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s 1-0 win at Stoke City, Peace was sympathetic towards Berahino’s plight.

In a statement, Peace said: “I have the greatest respect for [Tottenham chairman] 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.

“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 have informed Saido that he will not be transferred during this summer window and that he is staying at the club.”

Pulis himself said he could not be sure Berahino would remain at The Hawthorns when the transfer window closed, but stated that the saga had taken its toll on the player.

“It’s not just about football, it’s about the person and it’s about the lad,” Pulis said. “It’s about what he’s going through and what he’s not going through.

“He’s not just a lump of meat that people are throwing around. He’s got emotions and we’re trying to protect him.”