Joseph Masi admits Okay Yoksulu return to West Brom could be on the cards as he hears fresh developments
Express & Star journalist Joseph Masi admits that Okay Yokuslu could be on his way back to West Brom this summer after hearing developments that contradict what Steve Bruce told him not too long ago.
As quoted by the E&S on 4 July, the Albion manager said that while he likes Yokuslu, he felt as though the ship had sailed for his hopes of landing the 28-year-old Turkey midfielder.
However, amid speculation on social media that the free agent is on his way back to The Hawthorns after a half-decent loan spell in 2021, Masi says that he’s hearing news that suggests what Bruce told him earlier this month may have been wrong.
Writing via his personal Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon (12 July), Masi said: Maybe. Bruce told me to my face it wasn’t happening. But it’s fair to say I’m now starting to hear other things.
“Will hopefully know for certain tonight.”
Well…
It remains to be seen whether or not there’s anything substantial in this story yet.
However, Bruce said that he wasn’t going to be signing Yokuslu so it’s fair enough for everyone to think that this deal still won’t take place.
But the landscape does appear to be changing from when Bruce spoke over a week ago.
Yokuslu spent the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan at West Brom from Celta Vigo.
In his time in the Black Country, the defensive midfielder made 16 appearances in the Premier League for Sam Allardyce and helped oversee a major improvement upon what Slaven Bilic’s midfield was like.
Yokuslu seems to have gained a cult following on social media for that short stint in blue and white stripes not too long ago.
But are people remembering him as being a better player than he was because he was simply better than Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers?
We’re not against Yoksulu returning to the Albion but we do have some concerns, mainly about fitness.
At the European Championships in 2021, Yokuslu was terrible for Turkey and looked as though he was running through mud every time he played.
He also looked unfit towards the end his loan spell at the Albion.
If you believe the rumours from the North-East about Bruce then you’ll know that the West Brom manger doesn’t push his players that hard in training.
We’ll see how this develops but we still have our doubts.
In other West Brom news, a former Albion star is training at the club’s training ground as he looks to find a new club.
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