In the chaos that comes in the final days of the transfer window in Europe, few were keeping track of what happens in England’s third tier – the EFL League One. But we’re here to discuss a transfer coup made by Sheffield Wednesday, four-time champions of England, who tumbled out of the EFL Championship on the final day of last season.Saido Berahino arrived to Sheffield to help the Owls find their way back up to England’s second-tier division. Once a big teenage star, he is forced to make a name for himself once more – even though he should be enjoying the best part of his career at the age of 28.How did it come to this? To fully understand how Saido reached this point, we should take a look at his beginnings.Tuesday, 19.00: (2.55) Ethiopia (2.85) Zimbabwe (2.95)Born in war-torn Burundi with the civil war raging around him, Saido had lost his father in the violence when he was only four. He and his family fled to England in search of a better life. He arrived separately from his mother, Liliane, and he was taken into a care home. He did not know where his mother was. She was traced and briefly reunited with her son, but only after completing the required DNA tests. Only then was Berahino allowed to live with Liliane in Birmingham.”I came to England from Burundi by myself to join my mum when I was about 10 or 11. Many things happened back at home, and being in this country has given me a better platform in life. It was a huge culture shock because I couldn’t speak a word of English, and I had to adapt very quickly. Playing football made it easier for me to settle in and learn the language, and I’m lucky I had the talent.”Burndi star Berahino in a match against Nigeria in 2019 (©Gallo Images)Saido still only speaks Swahili to his mother, but he has come a long way from being a scared little boy in a foreign country.Playing football was always a way to get away from the harsh reality – both in Africa and in England. While playing for his school, Saido’s evident ability prompted West Bromwich Albion to recruit the 11-year-old and develop him into a first-teamer. Scoring goals for all WBA youth sides made Berahino a youngster to watch and, after a couple of loan spells, he was given a chance to shine for the Baggies’ first team in a League Cup match in 2012. It may have been only a substitute appearance against a less-than-glamorous opponent, but it was a start – and it was a world apart from kicking a makeshift ball made out of plastic bags in the dusty streets of Bujumbura.A fit and firing Saido Berahino 😍. Welcome back to English football #SWFC pic.twitter.com/kXTm0E4p5Y— Richard Amofa (@RichardAmofa) August 31, 2021 The following season, Saido was already a star. Five goals in the 2013/14 season put him on the map and were followed by another 14 strikes in 2014/15 campaign. After playing for England’s youth teams, his goals for WBA made him a candidate for the Three Lions World Cup squad in 2014. “Burundi is motherland to me. I will always be a Burundian regardless of what happens, even if I become a successful Premier League player. I will still have the Burundi culture in me. Playing for England is totally different. They have given me a second chance in life, provided my family with a different type of lifestyle. I feel very, very grateful for what England has done for my family and me. So, when I play for England, I play with passion and excitement, joy and desire to win.”Berahino celebrating a goal against Crystal Palace in 2016 (©AFP)However, Saido narrowly missed out on a place in the squad that year. He was called up by then-England manager Roy Hodgson once, but he never actually made an appearance, leaving him uncapped. And, as his career stalled, it proved the closest he’d ever gone to the England senior national team.In late 2014, reports emerged that Berahino had been arrested for drink-driving just a few weeks earlier. It was the kind of offence Saido would repeat a few more times in the years that followed. He was never the one to hide his emotions away. When he’d get substituted, he was unhappy – and he showed it. When he had something to say – he’d say it. And he’s not the first nor last footballer to do something stupid off the pitch.Saturday, 17.00: (2.80) Plymouth (3.00) Sheffield Wednesday (2.55)Tottenham Hotspur were interested in signing him in August 2015 and made a $30+ million offer to WBA, but the Midlands club refused to let their start leave. Saido was so angry that his relationship was never the same. He scored the goals and continued to star for his team but was constantly linked to other clubs. Fitness problems, discipline issues and arguments with WBA management drove Berahino out of the club as he switched to Stoke City in January 2017 for a fee of around $15 million.The Burunidian’s time at Stoke was a disaster. In his first two seasons with the Potters, he failed to find the net as the club tumbled out of the Premier League. Playing in the Championship proved only a shade better, and Berahino soon found himself in Belgium, playing for Zulte Waregem. Three years of playing in a different country was a welcome change for the striker who faded from the collective consciousness of football fans in England.😁😁😁😁💙🦉#WAWAW #LETSGO! pic.twitter.com/EfSlk6m57l— Saido Berahino (@SBerahino) September 6, 2021 He may have disappeared from team sheets in the Premier League, but Saido’s move to Belgium opened other doors. In 2018, he was given a chance to play international football – for the country he loves despite so many hurtful memories. On 8 September that year, the boy from Bujumbura played and scored on his debut for the Swallows. And it got even better for them the next March as Burundi booked a place in the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.But he’s gotten a call to come back to England – although it’s far below the Premier League level. Sheffield Wednesday needed someone to help them get out of the third tier at the first attempt. It could be a match made in heaven as a team deprived of goals, and exciting players adds a player deprived of attention. As English football writer and Wednesday fan Charles Ducksbury told Mozzart Sport Kenya, taking a chance on Berahino is a nothing-to-lose move for the Hillsborough club.”Berahino is seen as a ‘free hit’ for Wednesday. He clearly had potential a few years ago, and if he realises his obvious talent in League One it could be a fantastic signing. If it doesn’t, then it was worth the risk as he is on a low wage. The player himself said manager Darren Moore was his main motivation for signing, so let’s see. He has a lot of competition in his position, though. The fans expectation is high, especially after a good start. Obviously, when Sheffield Wednesday are playing in League One they should challenge near the top, but Moore has built a nice squad of balanced, talented players, and in Barry Bannan have the best player in the league (and one of the best in the Championship). After 30 years of being terrible, it’s a nice feeling to be optimistic for once!”
A player desperate to prove his worth and repay the trust of a coach he respects and a club trying to pick up the pieces in the wake of a disastrous season. It might just work out for the Burundian star.