Saido Berahino’s move to Stoke City could jump-start his career

For the last year and a half, things have not exactly gone to plan for Saido Berahino. Two years ago, he was on the cusp of stardom, one of the fastest-rising young talents England has seen in years. Ever since Tony Pulis took over as the manager of West Bromwich Albion, however, it has been obvious that something just wasn’t working for the young attacker under his new setup.

Now he has a chance to blossom again, thanks to Stoke City and Mark Hughes having faith in Berhaino’s talent, faith enough to spend a reported £12 million to sign him from West Brom. While that’s not as significant a sum as it once might have been for a mid-table Premier League side, it’s still enough to represent a risk for a Stoke side that’s not exactly rolling in bottomless finances.

So it’s not an insignificant gesture for Stoke to sign Berahino, especially with how badly he’s struggled under Pulis at West Brom. Two years ago, Berahino’s star was flying straight up, scoring 14 goals in his first season as a starter in the EPL after serving largely as a substitute the year before. To achieve such a feat at 21 years old is impressive, and it seemed like things could only end well for his career.

However, after Pulis took over in January that season, it quickly became clear that things didn’t quite click between Berahino and his new Welsh manager. Berahino’s easy confidence and certain movements went away, replaced by nervous actions and tentative decisions. His first full season under Pulis went little better, only becoming an occasional starter and scoring just four league goals after a series of disputes between he and Pulis, starting with a fallout after Tottenham Hotspur tried to sign him in the summer. This season he has played just four times in the league, and it became painfully clear that Pulis no longer had a place for Berahino in his side, despite the prodigious talents that he had shown not so long ago.

So for Mark Hughes and Stoke to sign Berahino now, it’s more a sign that they believe that the 23-year-old can still come good as a player, because this clearly isn’t the purchase of a player in incredible form. That faith, that belief, suggests that Hughes has a plan — and if recent history is much of an indication, it’s that when Hughes has a plan for a young player, something good can come of it.

Xherdan Shaqiri, Bojan, Bruno Martins Indi, and Joe Allen are all players who have come into Hughes’ team in the last two years after disappointing or underwhelming spells elsewhere, but at Stoke they’ve all found veins of impressive form and re-established themselves as legitimate talents to pay attention to — when they’ve been healthy, at least. With each player, Hughes has been able to identify the specific role and tactical responsibilities that best suit them, and brought out the best in them in doing so.

If Hughes believes in Berahino enough to bring him into his side, he must see just what the best role for him in his side will be. If there’s any manager in the EPL right now who can take a player like Berahino and craft him into the successful talent he’s capable of being, it would be Hughes — a manager who, while he doesn’t have a huge record of success, does have a long track record of taking players in need of help and improving them.

And a talent like Berahino’s is one that needs to be cultivated and improved. It’s a shame that things didn’t work out for him at West Brom, but that’s just how things go in this sport sometimes. If he and Hughes can find a way to unlock his talent, it will only be a good thing for Stoke and for fans of the game at large — seeing a player with the potential of Berahino start to realize that talent is a huge treat, and that certainly was not going to happen at West Brom.

So for the sake of Saido Berahino, for the sake of fans, and for the sake of the sport, his transfer to Stoke City is the best thing for everyone. He was never going to become the player he could be under the less-than-watchful eye of Tony Pulis, but under the tutelage of Mark Hughes he actually has a chance. Hopefully he reaches that potential, because his talent being wasted even further would simply be a huge shame.