West Bromwich Albion would have hoped any talk about key first-teamers leaving was a thing of the past when Alex Mowatt and Kyle Bartley put pen to paper on new deals recently, but that anxiety looks like it could spring back up again.
Transfer talk coming out of the Hawthorns seems to suggest Okay Yokuslu could be off this summer away from the West Midlands, with a reported return to his native Turkey on the horizon.
If that move were to come to fruition, West Brom could eye up a midfield target as his replacement, with plenty of Championship clubs interested by the serial promotion winner in question.
West Brom battling for serial promotion winner
According to football journalist Michael Graham, West Brom will give the likes of Sunderland significant competition when it comes to landing the services of experienced midfielder Oliver Norwood this summer, as the ex-Sheffield United man looks for a new club after being let go of at Bramall Lane.
Watford are named as the other interested party from the second tier, as a transfer battle begins to heat up, with the trio of clubs looking to the 33-year-old as an experienced head who can help in a potential promotion push to come next season.
What Norwood could offer West Brom
With a stunning record of four promotions up to the Premier League on his glittering career CV, West Brom signing Norwood could give them the edge to go one better and seal a return to the top-flight next season after play-off disappointment, alongside offering up a cheap replacement for Yokuslu if the popular Turkish midfielder does exit this summer.
Norwood is a seasoned professional when it comes to playing in the second tier, making a staggering 381 appearances in the division across his spread-out career, with his nous on how to get out of the league another major factor as to why Carlos Corberan and Co want to sign him up.
Even during The Blades’ dreadful basement finish last campaign, Norwood still stood out as an admirable performer when called into action, with the Northern Irish veteran even helping himself to a solitary strike from 27 top-flight games.
Yet, it will be his glowing statistics from the 22/23 campaign that will make for particularly impressive reading for those with West Brom connections, as the former United man was everpresent under Paul Heckingbottom on the way to automatic promotion becoming reality.
Norwood is able to control games with his range of passing and ability to fashion chances playing out from the back, as much as he can also be a gritty presence in the centre of the park, as can be seen glancing at the table above.
The former Blades man actually bettered some of Yokuslu’s numbers for last campaign during his fine 22/23 season when it comes to interceptions and tackles managed per 90 minutes, which is what the West Brom number 35 prides himself on as a known disruptor of play, over creating chances from deep.
Yet, if Corberan’s men are able to snap Norwood up on a free transfer, they would be able to get this resilience to win the ball back in the Northern Irish star, on top of a player who can also attack with confidence which would complement Alex Mowatt well who he would be partnering in a holding role.
Able to offer more depth as well, with Jayson Molumby falling down the pecking order in central midfield, this feels like a no-brainer for those at West Brom, if they’re serious about putting together another promotion challenge.
