#PLStories – #SamAllardyce admits being a genius at quickly helping foreign players like #OkayYokuslu adapt to #PL #WBAFC
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Sam Allardyce And Rafa Benitez
Okay Yokuslu will be at the top of West Brom’s transfer shopping list in the summer window if they manage to seal relegation great escape in the remaining eight matches.
Sam Allardyce said “I’m not giving you a worst case scenario. Let’s talk about Okay playing for West Brom in the Premier League, because the first thing we’ll do if we stay up is sign him up, absolutely. It’ll be the first thing on the agenda – get him signed!”
Allardyce has, in previous jobs, had success with bringing in little-known midfielders from abroad. During his tenure at Sunderland, Jan Kirchoff arrived in 2016 and transformed the Black Cats’ fortunes. A year later, and Allardyce again struck gold with an overseas midfielder – Luka Milivojevic, from Olympiacos, came to Crystal Palace. He’s still there, having played more than 150 matches, as Albion well know from their recent trip to Selhurst Park. Yokuslu undoubtedly fits into that bracket of player who has made mincemeat of the argument that foreign players with no previous Premier League experience need time to acclimatise.
Allardyce said “I’ve done many of these types of signings, and I’m either a genius or I’m very lucky – or both. You listen to how many managers talk about how it’s no good bringing in players in January from abroad, because it takes them far too long to adjust. They seem to wait forever – ‘it’s next season when they’ll be any good’. We’ve got Mbaye [Diagne] and particularly Okay, who is playing like he’s been here for five or six seasons, and that’s in a side who has been struggling. I have to give those two lads great credit for taking on the challenge, as well as Ainsley [Maitland-Niles] coming from Arsenal. The experience they’ll have gained will stand them in good stead, but hopefully they could possibly be here next year if we stay in the Premier League.”
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