Lewis Cox labels West Brom duo Okay Yokuslu and Alex Mowatt best in Championship
Lewis Cox has suggested that West Brom midfield duo Okay Yokuslu and Alex Mowatt may be the best midfield pairing in the Championship after the Baggies’ win over Cardiff.
Carlos Corberan’s side registered back-to-back Championship wins with their 1-0 win over the Bluebirds on Tuesday (28 November) thanks to Jeremey Sarmiento’s second-half goal to establish themselves as genuine playoff contenders.
While the Colombian’s wonder goal stole most of the plaudits, Express & Star journalist Cox was similarly impressed by the performance of Mowatt and Yokuslu in the Albion midfield, going as far as to suggest they could be the division’s best pairing.
Speaking on the Baggies Broadcast (29 November, 18:50) he said: “They were in control with and without the ball, certainly with the ball. I just thought Okay and Mowatt, I said to a colleague, I don’t know about Leicester, maybe we’ll see on Saturday.
“But for Championship midfield pairings, those two in terms of with the ball, is there a better pairing in the division in terms of keeping the ball?”
Settled midfield
The mood around The Hawthorns has certainly lifted in the last few weeks given the Baggies’ incredible recent run of form, but it is hard to argue with Cox’s suggestion that Yokuslu and Mowatt have formed an excellent partnership in the centre of the West Brom midfield.
Between them at the Cardiff City Stadium, the pair completed 121 passes and won nine duels as everything the Baggies did both in and out of possession went through their midfield duo who almost conducted the game from the centre of the field.
Corberan doesn’t like to make unnecessary changes to his squad if he can avoid it but the Spaniard has rotated his midfield throughout the season, with the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah and Jayson Molumby afforded chances over the opening months of the season.
However, following Albion’s win over Cardiff and the performances of Yokuslu and Mowatt, the pair seem undroppable. If they are the Championship’s best midfield duo they surely have to start week in and week out for West Brom.
In other West Brom news, Joseph Chapman has shared an update on the Baggies’ plans for the January transfer window