Saido Berahino European Ambition Should Come Second to Development at West Brom

Saido Berahino's recent England call-up was far from a surprise, given the 21-year-old's red-hot form for West Bromwich Albion so far this season, but the striker should shelve his Champions League ambitions for the time being.

Berahino's comments, courtesy of The Guardian, outline an overriding ambition within the youngster to succeed on both club level and for his country: "My aim would be to play in the Champions League, to be involved in the England seniors and play in World Cups and Euros."

Asked whether to achieve this he would need to leave the Midlands club, Berahino opined "if that's what it comes to it has to be that."

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While there remains a level of pragmatism as the striker claims "I take each game as it comes, work hard and I have a big vision and hopefully I can reach my goals," further comments suggest that Berahino has his sights set much higher than the reach of Alan Irvine's Baggies.

Although initially committing his allegiance to West Brom, Berahino proffers that "I appreciate what West Brom have done for me and I am working hard to bring the club up."

There is more than a measure of the temporal in his words.

The same piece suggests that the striker has "Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham all linked with him."

Having demanded the attention of the Premier League this season with a remarkable goal-scoring run, it would be unwise for Berahino to set his sights too high, too soon.

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Saido Berahino

Berahino's England call-up, announced on Thursday by manager Roy Hodgson, is a reward for the sheer rise in form of the striker.

So far this season, Berahino has scored seven goals in 10 Premier League games, according to WhoScored.com—a remarkable upturn considering 2013/14 heralded just five goals from 32 appearances.

Compared to England team-mates Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Rickie Lambert, whose most recent transfer fees amount to a combined £45 million, Berahino is so far the most devastating goal-scorer in Hodgson's ranks.

Links with clubs such as United, Liverpool and Spurs are of no surprise given this form, and Berahino's international recognition can only go to further lengths to heighten the interest in the striker.

To put this early success into wider context, Berahino runs even the Premier League’s finest talents close in the goal-scoring charts for 2014/15.

Furthermore, amongst Europe's young elite, Berahino more than holds his own in terms of current form; this includes talents such as Divock Origi, Michy Batshuayi, Timo Werner and Mauro Icardi.

But a string of goals in the Premier League does not a world-beater make, and Berahino should focus on his career with West Brom for now.

Too Much, Too Young

Plenty of young, promising footballers have made this mistake before and would surely advise Berahino against setting his ambitions too high too soon.

Take Scott Sinclair, who played his football last season alongside the 21-year-old at West Brom.

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At the age of 16, Sinclair joined Premier League high-flyers Chelsea and, understandably given the low propensity towards blooding youth at the west London club, spent his four seasons with the club on loan to various Football League and low-level Premier League outfits.

Moderate spells at Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic were punctuated with fleeting opportunities at Stamford Bridge.

After petering out in the capital, Sinclair made a reported £500,000 move, per BBC Sport, to Brendan Rodgers' Swansea City in 2010 and rebuilt his reputation.

Eight goals and four assists in his only season with the Swans in the Premier League belie the player's influence in South Wales.

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Interestingly, on his move to Swansea, the forward told reporters that "I'd much rather be at a club like Swansea where I'm playing every week than at Chelsea where I was only playing five or ten minutes here and there," as per Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail.

When big-money Manchester City called in the summer of 2012, however, Sinclair jumped ship and joined the Citizens in an initial £6.2 million transfer.

Sinclair told reporters at the time, per BBC Sport, that "playing alongside some of the best players in the world is exciting for me." Only 11 Premier League appearances (h/t WhoScored) later, Sinclair continues to warm the City bench—even that on a temporary basis.

Elsewhere, Sinclair’s former City team-mate Jack Rodwell warned young English players against such a move after signing for Sunderland this summer, with the Daily Mirror’s Simon Bird quoting the midfielder:

"

I would ­probably say don’t sign [for City] now, I’d say get as much football as you can. The first thing I’d ask is, ‘how good are you?’ You just never know – you could go there, do really well and be winning league titles and everything. I would just say weigh up your options and ask yourself if you want to be playing regularly.

"

With the once-highly-rated Thomas Ince last month making the loan move from Hull City to Nottingham Forest, per The Guardian, Berahino is not short of examples of young English stars with lofty ambitions falling to the wayside after making the move too early.

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Ambition and Realism

There is the background to underline this ambition.

In interview with Henry Winter of The Telegraph, Berahino explains how, with his mother first fleeing war-torn Burundi for England, she "managed to get into contact and bring me over, so things worked well."

The striker continues to outline his hardened resolve: "The experience I've been through in life has made me a stronger person and character. I don't think anything now will break me down so I'm ready for it."

Berahino is far from a flash in the pan and has endeavoured meticulously to reach his current level, as evidenced by his rise through the England ranks to reach the senior squad.

There is every reason to believe that Berahino is here to stay and would grace the squad of most top Premier League sides at this juncture.

To an extent, too, the striker's ambition is endearing—but Berahino would be unwise to cast aside his roots in the Midlands too soon into the future.

The 21-year-old may prove to be exactly what Liverpool need, for example, in the absence of Daniel Sturridge and amidst the enduring struggles of Mario Balotelli.

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But the elevated pressure and demands for consistency could damage the player at such a young age.

At West Bromwich Albion, Saido Berahino has the perfect platform to develop, and it could prove a mistake to set his ambitions too high at this early stage. Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs can wait.

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