West Bromwich Albion fans will have breathed a major sigh of relief when talk this off-season surrounding Carlos Corberan's future in the dug-out died down, with the likes of Leicester City sniffing around at one point for the popular Spaniard's services.
The Baggies boss has turned around the fortunes of the West Midlands club over the past couple of campaigns, from looking worryingly over their shoulder at the relegation spaces in the Championship under the dismal tenure of Steve Bruce, to the brink of a play-off final with the ex-Huddersfield Town man's expertise at the helm.
West Brom will be dreaming about an unbelievable Premier League return this season to come, with the 41-year-old manager well aware he can rely on a number of seasoned individuals in his camp to deliver the goods in the second tier again, such as the experienced heads of Kyle Bartley and Alex Mowatt.
He might not be able to keep a firm grip on Okay Yokuslu ahead of another promotion attempt, however, with many a suitor trying to tempt the Turkish midfielder away from the Hawthorns this summer, which would definitely weaken the Baggies in the centre of the park in the process.
Okay Yokuslu's situation at West Brom
Corberan and Co could be looking to cash in whilst they can for their 30-year-old enforcer, with his contract expiring next year, and fervent interest certainly there.
Both Besiktas and Trabzonspor were noted as being interested parties from his native Turkey, but further developments now suggest that the first named suitor has dropped out of the race to snap up Yokuslu, who has only attracted himself onto more shopping lists after a bright time out at the Euros with his nation.
Hull City could stand more of a chance at swooping in and landing the in-demand West Brom number 35 now, though, with limited competition now to fend off, with Hull vice-chairman Tan Kesler even admitting that Yokuslu is on their transfer target list recently.
It remains to be seen whether West Brom's hefty £5m valuation puts off Tim Walter's men, considering Yokuslu is nearing the twilight years of his career at 30 years of age, but the Tigers have been unafraid to splash the cash in the division before and could do so again.
The Humberside outfit have spent some mega bucks on the likes of Jaden Philogene-Bidace in transfer windows as of late, with Yokuslu potentially their next splurge, and a worthwhile one at that when you consider his exploits in a Baggies strip to date.
Yokuslu's time at West Brom
West Brom must be thanking their lucky stars that they gambled on picking up Yokuslu on a free transfer when they did, bringing him in on a permanent basis in 2022, before he went on to become a dependable first-team head.
Last campaign, the no-nonsense 30-year-old was only absent from two clashes across the full Championship season, forming a daunting holding midfield duo with the aforementioned Mowatt, as the Baggies became known for being a resilient and dogged side whilst also boasting the likes of Brandon Thomas-Asante when venturing forward.
Stat – per 90 mins*
Yokuslu
Games played
44
Goals scored
1
Assists
1
Touches*
54.4
Accurate passes*
38.0 (87%)
Interceptions*
1.1
Tackles*
1.5
Ball recoveries*
4.9
Total duels won*
4.5
Looking at the table above, the Baggies will very much miss Yokuslu's grit and steel from the middle of the park if he does move onto the MKM Stadium this summer, with the Turkish star almost acting as a heartbeat for Corberan's men when fielded by the Spaniard.
The wanted Baggies number 35 even has a rocket of a shot in his back pocket if needs be, that will further intrigue his potential new employers in Hull, with this venomous effort against the Terriers last season nearly taking the net off.
Still, if West Brom can manage to gain £5m back by selling on the ageing midfielder this summer, all sentimentality surrounding how much his presence is adored at the Hawthorns will surely go out the window.
Selling Yokuslu on for this excessive amount would even see him become more of a valued asset than the likes of Wallace and Thomas-Asante, according to Football Transfers, and would end up in him becoming the most profitable talent from Corberan's camp currently.
Therefore, nobody could begrudge the Championship side if they did decide to offload Yokuslu for this high amount, especially when you consider the Baggies are struggling in the market themselves to bring in new recruits, with £1m rumoured to be too much in West Brom's recent pursuit of Sorba Thomas.
Yokuslu's changing valuation at West Brom
If Hull do come in and win Yokuslu for this new amount, the Baggies' blinder in going after the 6 foot 3 brute for nothing continues to look like an absolute masterstroke.
Yokuslu is worth even more than both Wallace and Thomas-Asante with this new bumped up valuation above his head, despite both attacking players combining to score 17 goals between them in Championship action last season, as Corberan's men nearly tasted the sweet ecstasy of promotion.
Even despite these glowing numbers working in their favour, Wallace and Thomas-Asante are worth £3.9m and £2.2m respectively, when contrasted next to their in-demand teammate.
2023
£3.3m
2022
£0
2021 (on loan)
£3.5m
Looking at the table above at Yokuslu's fluctuating transfer values in the West Midlands, West Brom might be wise to cash in now, so not to regret banking a sizeable amount of money whilst they still can.
West Brom have been burnt by a key first-teamer potentially leaving for nothing very recently in the form of Cedric Kipre, who still hasn't agreed a new contract this off-season, and looks to be exiting this summer for nothing as suitors queue up to win his cheap services.
At least in this instance, West Brom can move on from their star number 35 leaving, knowing they at least bargained hard over allowing him to go.
That £5m could also go a long way in allowing Corberan to buy his next potential Yokuslu and reshape his squad to go one better and win promotion this time around, potentially competing with their ex-midfielder's new club along the way.
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