West Brom boss Tony Pulis admits he is eager to reach the end of a “messy” transfer window as Tottenham step up their pursuit of striker Saido Berahino.
On Tuesday the Baggies announced they had rejected a reported £15million bid from Spurs for England Under-21 international Berahino, who scored 14 Barclays Premier League goals last season.
Pulis is also frustrated by his side’s failure to score in their two opening league games – a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and a goalless draw with Watford – and hopes reaching September 2 and the end of an “unsettling period” will help focus hearts and minds.
He told the Daily Mirror: “I am concerned that we haven’t hit the button yet.
“We are still trying to find our way. It has been a little bit of a messy window for us.
“There is loads of stuff going on behind the scenes you don’t really want going on.
“We are trying to bring players in and then players will go out as well.
“As soon as we get through the window we can settle down and then start preparing the team the way we want to prepare it for the season.
“It is an unsettling period and as I have said before the window should close earlier and then everybody should concentrate on the football.”
Despite the recent club-record arrival of Salomon Rondon, for £12million from Zenit St Petersburg, West Brom remain keen to keep Berahino – one of the country’s top English talents – at the Hawthorns.
”We have no interest in selling Saido which is what I have told (Tottenham chairman) Daniel Levy,” chairman Jeremy Peace said in a statement published on the club’s official website on Tuesday.
“I know we are living in an age where no club can say ’never’ about the possibility of selling a player.
“However, the prospect of selling Saido is simply not on our agenda.
“We are going forward with Saido very much in our plans and still striving to add players to improve the balance of our squad.”