According to Liverpool Echo, Everton have held discussions with Turkish giants Besiktas over a possible loan move for Cenk Tosun in January.
The 27-year-old striker moved to Goodison Park for a whopping £27million from Besiktas. However, he has failed to justify his huge price tag. The Turk has only scored 6 goals in 22 Premier League outings so far.
He was one of the first names on the teamsheet in the earlier games under new manager Marco Silva but his lacklustre form has forced the manager to look for alternatives. Consequently, Silva had to go in with Richarlison as the spearhead in Everton’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City.
His performances have been largely disappointing, given that he arrived at the Premier League with a massive goal scoring reputation. In fact, he had scored 64 goals in 142 appearances for his former club Besiktas.
Although he has shown glimpses of his brilliance, the Turk has found goals hard to come by in the Premier League. He has impressed with his hold-up play near the goal and has registered a couple of assists but he lacks consistency.
The 27-year-old has looked sluggish with his movement inside the penalty box and has failed to add that cutting edge to Everton’s attack. To sum it up, he has looked a tad off the pace and must add a bit more agility and awareness to his game.
However, it would be too early to write him off. Considering the fact that he had enjoyed commendable success with his former club, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to send him out on loan if the Turk continues to underwhelm.
Tosun will have a couple of months more to improve before the winter transfer window opens. At present, he seems quite similar to someone like Islam Slimani, who was a club record signing for Leicester City and had a remarkable scoring record for Sporting Lisbon but failed to impress in the Premier League. Consequently, he was loaned out to Turkish club Fenerbahce at the start of the season.
And it looks like Tosun will also go down the same path. Everton have enough quality attackers to rack up the goals and they need not have the Turk on their payroll if he continues to struggle.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has shown a lot of promise this season and has already scored thrice, one of which was a headed equalizer against Huddersfield Town. New signing Richarlison has done a wonderful job for the Toffees up front and has been on a song with his goals while Theo Walcott has established himself as a key figure in the final third.
Also, the departure of Tosun should open the door for Bernard to get regular starts down the left with Richarlison spearheading the attack.
Everton should continue handing him regular opportunities and wait for him to find his feet but if he doesn’t do so, a loan move to Besiktas should be the ideal option for all parties involved.