Looking back on Tottenham’s £25million lucky transfer escape

Ex-Spurs target Saido Berahino is still searching for a club after his contract at Stoke was terminated in May (BBC).

Berahino was once one of England’s most promising youngsters but issues off the pitch have led to his rapid decline (BBC).

Back in May 2015 Spurs had a £25 million bid for Berahino rejected by West Brom. This started a lengthy transfer saga that never ended with Berahino playing in a Spurs shirt (The Guardian). However in the years since it has looked more and more like Spurs had a lucky escape, with Berahino going two years without scoring a goal after being sold to Stoke for just £12 million (Evening Standard).

Now Berahino is without a club after he was convicted for drink driving and subsequently has his Stoke contract terminated. He has clubs interested in him, like Belgian side Zulte Waregem, but it is shocking how far he has fallen after the initial promise he showed (The Sun).

This could be seen as a cautionary tale for Spurs about the dangers of buying young players.

For every Dele Alli or Eriksen, there is a player who looks set to be great but never delivers. Tottenham fans will just be hoping that new youth signing Jack Clarke will be more like the former two players.

Spurs Web Opinion

I remember being gutted when we couldn’t get Berahino over the line back in 2015. This shows how difficult it is to tell which youth players are going to deliver on their promise. Hopefully, Jack Clarke will be able to focus on his football, unlike Berahino, and will become a valuable addition to our ranks.

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