Strengths and Weaknesses of Tottenham Transfer Target Saido Berahino

Tottenham have spent the early stages of the summer addressing their defensive weaknesses. 

The signings of Kieran Trippier, Toby Alderweireld and Kevin Wimmer have strengthened their options at the back significantly. So too has the sale of Younes Kaboul, while Vlad Chiriches will also make them stronger. 

Mauricio Pochettino must now turn his attention to his attack. 

Harry Kane is indisputably a star and will lead Spurs' line for the foreseeable future. 

His contribution last season was colossal, but Tottenham cannot realistically rely on him to repeat those heroics in 2015-16.

Thirty-one goals in 51 games is phenomenal but likely to prove something of an outlier in the career of a player who has never been comparably prolific even at youth level. 

Spurs must find players who can share the load with Kane going forward. 

Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor, ostensibly Kane's two supporting forwards, combined for just seven goals last season. Of those, only three were in the Premier League. Danny Rose, Tottenham's marauding left-back, scored as many himself. 

Both Soldado and Adebayor will leave north London during the transfer window if the club receives adequate offers. 

That means Spurs must identify replacements. 

They must bring in a player that can play alongside Kane or in place of him. 

Ideally, they would identify a player with whom Kane already has chemistry. 

West Bromwich Albion's Saido Berahino has played alongside Kane at youth international level and the duo have shown signs of developing an exciting partnership. 

Berahino enjoyed some excellent spells last season for the Baggies. 

He scored his 19th and 20th goals of the campaign in West Brom's penultimate match, a 3-0 win over Chelsea, but that brace ended an eight-game scoreless spell.

His season ran hot and cold while also being interrupted by off-field issues including an "unauthorised interview" for which he was fined and a drink-driving charge. 

Despite his controversies, Spurs were keen to snap up Berahino in January but were unwilling to part with the reported £25 million that West Brom demanded, per Rob Shepherd of the MailOnline. 

Now, though, they are expected to return to the Midlands in the hopes that a £15 million bid will be sufficient, according to Alan Oliver of the Sunday People. 

In a move that has earned him praise from many observers, Berahino recently sacked agent Aidy Ward reportedly due to his handling of Raheem Sterling's move from Liverpool to Manchester City, per the Daily Mail (h/t ESPN FC). 

If that is a reflection of Berahino's blossoming maturity, it seems a good time for Spurs to make a move. 

Berahino is a perfect transfer target for Tottenham.

His pace would make him unique in Spurs' attack, offering something they simply do not currently possess.

Gareth Southgate, Berahino's coach at England under-21 level, described Berahino's ability to get in behind defences as one of his strengths, according to John Percy of the Telegraph. 

Signing Berahino would change the nature of Tottenham's attack, making them more multi-faceted. 

While Kane is a brilliant front man, he is also excellent in deeper roles. 

If Spurs possessed a pacy finisher to play with Kane, it would free him up to take control from deep. 

His vision and his ability to bring team-mates into the game is really remarkable, but the absence of a quality strike-partner prevented him from regularly showing off that side of his game. 

Kane has the capacity to create as many goals as he scores, but he needs a reliable partner up front. 

This would also put Christian Eriksen's place in some jeopardy, forcing him to lift his game to retain his role. 

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Berahino has proven his quality while playing for a struggling West Brom side. 

As Liverpool hope to find with ex-Burnley man Danny Ings, Berahino would flourish in a more dominant team. 

Berahino is stylistically similar to former Spurs favourite Jermain Defoe. He is willing to take on a shot from any distance and possesses great shot power on either foot. 

The combination of his mentality, his pace and his finishing talent make him the ideal man to help get the most out of Harry Kane. 

According to Laurie Whitwell of the Daily Mail, West Brom are aware of Berahino's value and hoping to extend his contract, but he remains on a relatively paltry wage of £14,000-per-week; Spurs could offer him a drastic raise. 

Spurs must be careful to not reach a point of desperation when it comes to upgrading their strike force. 

Per the Mirror (h/t Metro) Adebayor has been linked with a move to Aston Villa, and he is almost guaranteed to play no role for Spurs next season. Soldado, too, reportedly has suitors including Galatasaray and Sevilla, per Tony Stenson of the Daily Star and Dave Kidd of the Mirror, respectively.  

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

The start of the new season is now less than one month away and Tottenham have only one first-team quality striker. 

Saido Berahino is young, Premier League-proven, homegrown and affordable. The list of players with comparable lists of qualities is very short. 

If Spurs can convince West Brom to part with their young star, it would lift their attack tremendously while taking pressure off Kane. 

Tottenham's aspiration is to break back into the Premier League's top four and in order to do so, they must possess a number of effective forward options. In Kane they have one of Europe's most exciting emerging stars, but the potential of combining him with Berahino is exhilarating.