Saido Berahino is too fat, even for the reserves, says West Brom boss Tony Pulis
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TONY PULIS admits there is fat chance of Saido Berahino featuring for West Brom - while his flabby forward isn’t even up to speed for RESERVE matches.
Fourteen months ago the Baggies turned down a £23million bid from Spurs for one of the hottest young prospects in the Premier League.
However Berahino’s form and fitness has dipped alarmingly since then and it’s now eight months and 14 games since the former England Under-21 star last found the net, against Crystal Palace back in February.
Last week Pulis took him out of the firing line and left him to rot in the stand against Spurs, after it was revealed Berahino has soared to eight pounds above his playing weight.
And the hard-line Welshman admits Berahino won’t be at Anfield – against Jurgen Klopp’s workaholics - as he pounds the training ground, looking to shed pounds from his waistline in his own personal mini-pre-season.
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Berahino’s West Brom contract is up at the end of the season and Pulis is well aware his value is plummeting with each passing week.
He told SunSport: “Seventy per cent of the stuff I have talked about since I’ve been here has been about Saido. But he is worth fighting for. He is a massive asset – that is why we are doing it.
“Hopefully we can clear a path for him where he comes through this and plays at the level he was when I was first here. Let’s hope the penny drops this time.
“We have set things in place for to do and hopefully he pushes on again. Strength and conditioning is important and there were even Under-23 games when he wasn’t at the level he should have been.
“People talk about his weight but every aspect now is about putting Saido back on the right track. He does most of the work with the first team during the week, then extra work afterwards in the gym, more endurance running, work on the bike.
“He had dropped away from the level he was capable of playing at.”
Pulis admits he has not put a timescale on Berahino’s return to top team action.
“If it takes six weeks – and we are hoping not – then it does. He accepts he has been below the level. I know people will struggle to understand how this can happen to a 23-year-old.
“But you have to be switched on, not just playing wise, but physically but mentally as well. We are hoping this will just clear his mind and get him to a level where he is concentrating on his game but also fit enough to play that game.”
Meanwhile Pulis has warned his players they will Kop a warm reception at Anfield, where he was involved in a touchline bust-up with Jurgen Klopp last season.
The German ran on to the pitch at full-time and insisted his players salute the Kop – ignoring the usual protocol of shaking his rival manager’s hand.
Pulis later delivered a withering assessment and admitted he would only react that way if he had won the European Cup.
However, ahead of tomorrow’s reunion he said: “Klopp is alright. We’ve played them twice now. He’s passionate, he gets his supporters riled up to win games and fans like that.
“They have a great chance to challenge for the title this season with no European football to get them bogged down.”