even after a tricky first 45 minutes away at fellow Championship side Huddersfield Town, managed to come out on top 4-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium owing to a devastating second-half display.
Mikey Johnston continues to endear himself to the Baggies fanbase, the Celtic loanee chipping in with two goals during the eventually one-sided contest, whilst Okay Yokuslu goes from strength to strength in a holding midfield role as well for Carlos Corberan’s men off the back of his standout display in West Yorkshire.
Typically dogged and determined in approach to allow his playoff-chasing side to tick, the imposing Turkish midfielder even helped himself to a goal in the victory away from his normal duties with a thunderbolt effort sending the travelling West Brom fans into raptures.
The decision to bring the ex-Trabzonspor man into the building on a permanent deal in 2022 continues to look like an ingenious call, with the Baggies paying nothing to win their now star man’s services at the time.
Okay Yokuslu’s transfer value at West Brom
Once on the books at West Brom as a loanee at the back end of the 2020/21 season, the West Midlands outfit probably couldn’t believe their luck when they ended up winning Yokuslu’s services on a free transfer.
He has since gone on to become an important part of the Corberan jigsaw puzzle after being initially signed by Steve Bruce, with the forceful 30-year-old midfielder ever-present for large portions of this season to date – making 36 appearances in the second tier in total.
It has resulted in Yokuslu’s transfer value rising all the way up to a hefty €3.5m (£2.9m) as per Football Transfers, which sees the West Brom number 35 come in as the second most valuable member of the squad currently according.
| West Brom’s most valuable squad members – 2023/24 | |
|---|---|
| Player | Expected Transfer Value |
| 1. Jed Wallace | €4.1M (£3.4M) |
| 2. Okay Yokuslu | €3.5M (£2.9M) |
| 3. Brandon Thomas-Asante | €3.4M (£2.8M) |
| 4. Conor Townsend | €3.4M (£2.8M) |
| 5. Darnell Furlong | €3.4M (£2.8M) |
| Sourced by Football Transfers | |
His inflated value also sees him rank as a more valuable player than Brandon Thomas-Asante, despite the Baggies striker leading the goalscoring charts at the Hawthorns this season with ten goals.
Surprisingly, Yokuslu – despite hammering home with venom against Huddersfield last match – only has that solitary goal next to his name this season and could well look to kick on for the remainder of the campaign to prove his worth to the Baggies promotion cause.
Alongside the likes of seasoned first-teamers Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend, who sit just below Yokuslu in terms of their market value, the experienced West Brom side will hope they can push through to the Premier League even if the nail-biting playoffs come their way.
Okay Yokuslu’s continued importance
Corberan and Co will just be relieved that they didn’t cash in on their Turkish star in January in the end, with reported suitors from his native country sniffing around before the close of the transfer window.
Instead, Yokuslu will hope he can continue to lead by example in holding midfield as a tough but impactful presence for the promotion-chasers on their way to glory being achieved.
The 30-year-old would shine rolling his sleeves up by winning four tackles too in the comprehensive Terriers win, on top of finding the back of the net with confidence.
Yokuslu’s transfer value could well skyrocket even further if he does end up being one of many heroes in the West Brom camp that enable the West Midlands outfit to return to the top flight, with the 30-year-old loving life under Corberan currently.
Considering he was picked up on a free transfer, it cannot be doubted that West Brom sealed a golden deal by signing Yokuslu when they did.
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geraldine ikyelleve 
Abel Jack 
Jonathan Jonathan