West Bromwich Albion summer signing Okay Yokuslu has admitted he would have only dropped to the Championship this summer for his current side, speaking to the Express and Star.

The 28-year-old was previously believed to be an ambitious target for the Baggies following their relegation to the second tier, with the Turkey international thought to want top-tier football following the expiration of his loan spell at The Hawthorns at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

Albion were unable to provide that following their 19th-place finish and though he was linked with a return to the Midlands last summer, a move failed to materialise for the midfielder.

 

 

Even this summer, with the Baggies remaining in the second tier following a disappointing 2021/22 season, current boss Steve Bruce thought the ship had sailed to recruit him when he spoke to the local media earlier this month.

However, with Yokuslu willing to lower his wage demands, he became the club's number one midfield target ahead of Leicester City's Hamza Choudhury with a three-year deal being sealed last week following his departure from Celta Vigo.

His previous connections to the club look to have paid dividends for the Baggies though, with the midfielder admitting he has only dropped down to the English second tier so he could re-join his former side.

He said: "I accept that challenge to be promoted, this is the only place I can accept that challenge – I want to fight with the guys for this club.

"I’m really motivated and hopefully we can get promoted. I can give my word that I will give my best, and we will give our best, so hopefully we can be happy.

"It will be tough, especially the first weeks, months, but we will need to work hard as a family. We are ready, I am ready."

The Verdict:

A player of his quality should be playing in the top flight and this is why Albion have done so well to get this deal over the line, with the fact he's a free agent being an extra boost for the second-tier side.

You could say similar about a couple of their other summer additions, with John Swift and Jed Wallace arguably deserving the chance to move on to top-tier clubs this summer but settling for a move to The Hawthorns.

This calibre of players will give Bruce's side the best possible chance of getting back to the highest level at the second time of asking, though they do need to make more additions if they are to give themselves the best chance of competing for a spot in the top two.

Light in attacking and at full-back at this stage, they would certainly benefit from a couple more additions and with the likes of Yokuslu, Swift and Wallace all arriving for free, they may be able to spend a transfer fee on a couple of their future signings.

However, it would be interesting to see what salary the trio are earning because they probably aren't on a modest wage considering their quality, even with midfielder Yokuslu lowering his wage demands.