ALBION HAVE NO RESPECT — LEVY
TOTTENHAM chairman Daniel Levy last night slammed West Bromwich Albion as the row over Saido Berahino escalated. Levy labelled the club as ‘wholly disrespectful’ in their conduct in refusing to sell the striker for £25million. The saga turned toxic on Tuesday when Berahino tweeted that he would never play again for chairman Jeremy Peace. The 22-year-old has been given until Monday off by the club and sources close to the player insist he will not go on strike but will return for clear-the-air talks with manager Tony Pulis. However, Berahino (below) will not apologise to Peace. Levy took the unusual step of issuing a statement in defence of Tottenham’s conduct amid claims that they unsettled Berahino. Spurs were furious at accusations that their final bid for Berahino included a £5m downpayment, with the rest paid in instalments and performance related add-ons, insisting they offered £25m in cash, which was still rejected. Levy said: ‘We have never, as a club, spoken about another team’s players and I am not about to do so. ‘However, I do want to make a few points regarding transfers. Firstly, there is hardly a transfer concluded across Europe which doesn’t include staged payments. Secondly, we do not make anything personal. Thirdly, we never make anything public as it is wholly disrespectful to the player involved.’
YOU may imagine Saido Berahino woke up with a head full of regret yesterday. His move to Tottenham was in tatters, and so was his relationship with West Bromwich Albion.
Berahino had posted a provocative Twitter message after his £25million transfer to Spurs collapsed, insisting he would never play again for Albion chairman Jeremy Peace, whom he blamed for the move breaking down.
But if Berahino is looking for someone to blame he should start with himself.
First things first. It’s important to point out that it was the 22-year-old’s intention to leave the Hawthorns this summer.
The assertion that a move to White Hart Lane was the fulfilment of some sort of dream for Berahino is a myth. The striker believes he belongs at a bigger club, a club capable of challenging for the top four. So Tottenham were by no means his ‘dream’ ticket — more a convenient destination.
Talk to some of his team-mates and they’ll tell you he is too confident. Cocky. Arrogant. After scoring 29 times in two seasons for West Brom, Berahino believed it was time to move on.
In his attempt to engineer a move, the striker decided to switch representatives. He left long-time agent Aidy Ward, best known for his role in Raheem Sterling’s £49m move to Manchester City this summer, to join the Stellar Group — a firm fronted by David Manasseh and Jonathan Barnett, who were at the centre of Gareth Bale’s £85.3m transfer to Real Madrid.
Indeed, Stellar are known to have close links with Tottenham, in particular chairman Daniel Levy, seemingly paving the way for a move to north London.
Would Ward have got the deal over the line? Perhaps. His approach to Sterling’s exit from Anfield didn’t win many friends but it got the job done.
Knowing Berahino’s intention to leave, Ward lined up options. Tottenham’s head of recruitment Paul Mitchell was known to be watching Berahino closely while Manchester City and Newcastle were ready to bid £20m for him.
There was even the offer of a new £45,000-a-week deal with Albion — more than doubling his current £20,000-a-week wages.
However, although Barnett and Manasseh had Levy’s ear they were soon to discover Peace wasn’t singing from the same hymn sheet. Peace had been preparing for this summer saga for months.
West Bromwich had been furious with Berahino in February, fining him for telling Sky Sports he hoped to move on to ‘bigger andd b bettertt things’.
Albion were then deep in relegation trouble and Berahino was crucial to their survival hopes so it was agreed both parties would draw a line under the matter.
Berahino played a key role in the final weeks of the campaign, scoring six of his 18 goals last season after the February contretemps.
Now West Brom have a toxic situation on their hands. Tony Pulis, who was willing to sell Berahino, now has to reintegrate a player into his squad who has made it clear he doesn’td ’t want tt to beb anywhereh near the Hawthorns. Luckily, Berahino and Pulis have a good working relationship. The striker’s beef isn’t with Pulis, it’s with Peace.
By all accounts Berahino is easily influenced and impulsive — a point highlighted by his ill-advised tweet on Tuesday.
The consensus is that Peace has emerged victorious in his poker game with Levy.
But, in reality, there are no winners in this sorry affair.