Change of attitude was all down to my Mum, admits Berahino
Saido Berahino has revealed he decided to focus on his career at West Brom and not on a move elsewhere after realising his actions on social media affected his family.
The England Under-21 striker was the subject of several failed bids from Tottenham in the summer transfer window, and the club’s refusal to sell him prompted the player to tweet his frustration at Albion chairman Jeremy Peace.
But having tweeted his intentions to strike over the breakdown of the transfer, before then apologising, the player then spent six months struggling to recapture his best form – and the player admitted he soon realised how his actions were affecting his family.
The player was also the subject of more interest in the January window, but with again no bid accepted, the player has since worked hard for the Albion cause.
Berahino was reunited with his family after fleeing his native country of Burundi as a lone 10-year-old, and the forward is understandably close to his mother.
He told The Sun: “I needed to look at my life. I had to get my act together. It affected my family, especially my mum and I feel really bad about that. What I did was not on. I had to make a fresh start.
“After the transfer window closed last month, I realised I was going to stay at West Brom, so I programmed myself to get fit.
“I have never said I don’t want to play for the club but I did not react well to the situation. I apologised to the fans because I disrespected them and the club. For six months, I let a lot of people down.”
Albion have been unstoppable since Berahino was reinstated into the starting line-up, picking up 10 points out of a possible 12.
Top scorer for the past two seasons, the young marksman found it difficult waiting in the wings.
He said: “It hurt being on the bench for so long. It was a wake-up call. I should have handled it better with the chairman, I know that.
“I want to play the game at the highest level but, obviously, I went about it the wrong way.”
Now, though, everything is rosy between Berahino and Peace. The player continued: “We don’t have a headmaster-school pupil relationship.
“It is different to that and I am pleased things have been resolved.”