West Bromwich Albion have completed a double swoop on deadline day, bringing in Celta midfielder Okay Yokuslu and Arsenal wingback Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan. The duo will be at the Hawthorns till the end of the current 2020/21 campaign.
The twin deals take West Brom’s list of total winter transfers to five, with the Baggies having previously secured the services of Robert Snodgrass, Mbaye Diagne and Andy Lonergan in the January window. Both Snodgrass and Lonergan were signed on permanent deals, with the other three on loan.
The 26-year-old Yokuslu has been at Celta since 2018, having joined them from Trabzonspor in his native Turkey. He has also earned 29 caps for the Turkish national team.
West Brom were not the only club interested in the versatile Maitland-Niles- the likes of Southampton and Leicester were also in the race. Arsenal however didn’t want to sell him to a fellow Champions League contender in the Foxes, while Saints felt it was taking too long to thrash out a deal, and this allowed West Brom to win the battle for the 23-year-old.
Albion are second from bottom in the Premier League table and are away at fellow strugglers Sheffield United in their next league game.
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