You get one England call-up and the transfer rumors begin to swirl.
Saido Berahino has been on fire this season, scoring seven times in his first eleven matches for West Bromwich Albion. His form has been so good that the 21-year-old was called into Roy Hodgson’s England side for their two upcoming matches.
[ MORE: Berahino gets first England call-up ]
The young striker caused rumors to start flying when he said his goal was to play Champions League football, alerting top teams in England that Berahino could be looking to move away from the West Midlands club.
West Bromwich chairman Jeremy Peace quickly quelled these rumors by releasing a statement via the club’s official website:I wish to assure our supporters that Saido Berahino will not be going anywhere in January or, I hope, next summer. It is not in our minds at all to trade a footballer the club has worked so diligently to develop.
He is contracted to play for West Bromwich Albion until at least the summer of 2017 and we are happy to sit down with him and discuss extending that commitment on terms which recognise his continuing improvement as a footballer and his growing importance to our own plans.
We have begun that process by opening preliminary talks with Saido’s representatives.
We are delighted that this development has now taken him all the way to the senior England squad. This reflects proudly on our club and the efforts of all the staff who have played such a key role in Saido’s progress since he arrived here as an 11-year-old.
However, it seems to have also generated unwarranted and excitable speculation about his future - which I wish to stress remains very firmly aligned to this football club.”
[ RELATED: Saido Berahino would leave West Bromwich Albion ]
While it is clear the Baggies would love to keep their young star at The Hawthorns, Berahino’s superb form could bring about large offers from bigger clubs. If Berahino truly wants to move to a bigger club and West Brom are offered the right price, he surely could end up elsewhere come next summer.
Chairman Jeremy Pearce should keep hoping Berahino doesn’t leave, as he has scored over half of the Baggies’ goals this season.