Okay Yokuslu lowers wage demands ahead of West Brom return, ‘major coup’ for Steve Bruce
West Brom have made a breakthrough in their bid to re-sign Okay Yokuslu with the free agent lowering his wage demands, according to the Express & Star.
Steve Bruce said earlier this month that he wasn’t optimistic about Albion’s chances of signing the 28-year-old Turkey midfielder, who spent the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan at The Hawthorns.
However, the Express & Star reported on 12 July that since then, Yokuslu “has significantly lowered his wage demands in the hope of securing a return to The Hawthorns”.
West Brom’s pursuit of Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury looks as though it could be over as a result of the development regarding Yokuslu.
It is understood that if, “as is expected”, the Baggies complete a deal for the midfield enforcer, who was released by Celta Vigo last month, it would be a “major coup” for Bruce.
Is it a coup?
Yokuslu will hopefully be a very good signing.
He had a decent loan spell at The Hawthorns when Albion were relegated under Sam Allardyce but since then, it’s fair to say he’s struggled.
Celta Vigo released Yokuslu in June for a reason.
He played just 22 minutes’ worth of La Liga football in the first half of last season for Celta before he was loaned out to Getafe in January.
He started six league games in La Liga with Getafe but often found himself playing as a centre-back in a back-three rather than in his usual defensive midfield position.
As a result of his lack of game-time last season, Yokuslu ended up being dropped from the Turkey squad and there have to be massive questions surrounding his fitness.
In terms of his fitness, Yokuslu struggled playing for West Brom over the period of half a season and then looked as though he’d never ran a mile in his life when he represented Turkey at the European Championships.
He’s barely played in the last year and that’s not going to help him prepare for the rigours of a Championship season that’s split in half due to the World Cup.
We’ll see how this pans out.
We want Yokuslu to shine but it’s important that everyone calms their expectations a bit.
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.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook for 24/7 updates from The Hawthorns during the 2022 summer transfer window.