Express & Star

No Spurs agreement for Albion's Saido Berahino

West Brom have rubbished claims that Tottenham Hotspur will be given first refusal on striker Saido Berahino in the summer.

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And Baggies boss Tony Pulis admitted the striker looks bulkier because he's been lifting weights in his own time.

January's deadline day loan deal for midfielder Alex Pritchard sparked more speculation about Berahino.

There were claims that Albion chairman Jeremy Peace and his Spurs counterpart Daniel Levy had shook on a gentleman's agreement that Berahino could join the North London club in the summer.

Spurs didn't make a bid for the 22-year-old in January, even though he was their main target last summer.

Peace took Berahino off the market to all other interested clubs, but the Express & Star understands nothing has been agreed.

On the pitch, Berahino's wait for a Premier League start has entered a fourth month.

He looks physically larger than he did last season, but Pulis still doesn't think last season's top scorer is fit enough to start in the league.

The Albion chief said: "He's been doing loads of body weights and things like that so he looks a little bit bigger, he's definitely stronger than he was before he went out of the team.

"He's missed a lot of games obviously. He's missed half of the season. We're desperate to get him back involved to play games and to be part of the team."

His absence has been more keenly felt in recent weeks.

Thanks to a combination of defensive tactics and poor finishing, the Baggies have failed to register a shot on target in three out of the last four Premier League games.

Pulis said: "He'll definitely play at Peterborough, then we'll see how he is, and he'll play a part at Everton. We're hoping that he might get some his sharpness back that we need in front of goal.

"We haven't hit the target enough in the last three games, against Peterborough how many shots did we have?

"Even against Swansea we had 17 attempts so we've got to be hitting the target more."

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