West Brom fans want Okay Yokuslu return, but the club should stay away
West Brom fans still are currently clamouring for Okay Yokuslu to return to Albion, but the club would be smart to steer clear.
The Turkish midfielder joined the Baggies on loan from Celta Vigo in January 2021 and impressed fans as the club were relegated from the Premier League.
Celta confirmed that Yokuslu would be released at the end of his contract via Twitter on Friday morning (1 July), which prompted some Baggies fans to ask for him to come back.
Spanish media outlet La Voz de Galicia reported back in January that Yoksulu wanted to return to the Midlands.
However, the Birmingham Mail reported that then-Albion boss Valerien Ismael was not keen on the move, so Steve Bruce should follow suit.
Why Albion should stay away
It is fair to say that his form at Albion did not carry over into his return to Spain.
Yokuslu played just 140 minutes of league football for Celta last season, with a loan to Getafe only yielding an extra 465 minutes for him (FBRef).
When Albion signed him the first time around, he had not long been frozen out of the Celta side after being a regular starter in 2019-20.
His stats from his limited minutes show that he is simply not the same player that he was during his time at The Hawthorns.
Yokuslu’s pass completion has gone down by 8%, he attempted five less pressures per 90 minutes, he won one less tackle per 90 minutes and was worse against dribblers.
He is performing worse in nearly every department, showing that he has gone backwards over the last year.
Bruce is believed to want a defensive midfielder this summer, but there are better options out there.
In other West Brom news, it has been revealed that Ron Gourlay was misquoted when discussing the clubs finances earlier this year.