West Brom cannot afford Okay Yokuslu exit at any cost amid Trabzonspor interest: View | OneFootball

Okay Yokuslu would be a significant loss for West Brom if he departs this summer.

West Bromwich Albion will be looking to build on last season's fifth-placed finish in the Championship standings and will hope that they can do enough next year to return to the Premier League.

A big part of their success was manager Carlos Corberán, who has transformed a financially burdened side from a mid-table team to play-off contenders.

The opportunity to use the transfer market has been limited before Shilen Patel entered The Hawthorns as the club's new owner earlier this year, so Corberan has had to make do with what was there.

A player's career he has managed to keep going and perhaps even enahnce though is that of Okay Yokuslu, who has been with the Midlands club since the summer of 2022.

In both his years under Corberan, the Turkish international has featured heavily at the base of the Baggies midfield, building a strong partnership with Alex Mowatt over the course of the 2023-24 campaign after the latter returned from a loan stint at Middlesbrough.

Despite this, both players could be departing this summer, with Mowatt yet to sign a new contract and Yokuslu the subject of heavy interest from his former club, Trabzonspor.

Whilst the departure of one player is replaceable, losing the pair of them would be disastrous heading into the new season.

If Alex Mowatt leaves, Okay Yokuslu must stay at West Brom at all costs

A crucial figure in the heart of midfield, the past year has displayed why Yokuslu is so important to West Brom. With his side conceding a minimal average last season of one goal per game, the former Celta Vigo man protected his back-four as if his life depended on it.

His defensive stats only back this up, with FotMob claiming that he won 199 ground duels, 81 aerial duels and managed 216 recoveries across the campaign.

In addition, his passing stats are of a sufficient standard for a defensive midfielder, as he managed an average of 46.39 per game, equating to an accuracy of 87.4%.

These abilities are perfectly met by Mowatt, who is a superb ball-playing midfielder and has an eye for a screamer too.

If this midfield gets ripped apart, then Corberan will find it very difficult to build on last year's play-off finish. So, you'd imagine he would be doing everything in his power to convince Mowatt and Yokuslu to stay at The Hawthorns for another season at the very least.

Okay Yokuslu will be difficult to keep for West Brom amid Trabzonspor interest

Currently away at Euro 2024 with his national side Türkiye, you feel when he returns, Yokuslu will likely run the rule over the next stage of his career.

For West Brom, their inability to secure Premier League football could cost them, with their situation similar to many other Championship clubs in that promotion is the only way of retaining players.

For Yokuslu, a return to Trabzonspor is appealing, with the club securing UEFA Europa League football after finishing third in the Turkish Super Lig.

This move would be a step up from the second tier of English football, and at the age 30, it might be the midfielder's last chance to play at such a level, as well as being able to return home.

If his desire is to leave, then West Brom must demand a price at which they can go out and buy a suitable replacement. But, it will prove difficult to replace an experienced head, and they may need to sign two new players should Mowatt depart too.

Yoksulu has been immense for the Baggies, and, despite his age, it wouldn't be much of a surprise for plenty of other clubs to be keen around Europe, with his disruptive capabilities, as well as his ability to build the ball from deep, having huge upside for plenty of sides.