According to talkSPORT (h/t The Sun), Everton are looking to bring in Joshua Zirkzee on loan from Bayern Munich. The Toffees are set to be without their leading forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin after his hamstring injury. That leaves Cenk Tosun as the only other senior forward in the side. A loan-to-buy deal is being mooted for the 19-year-old Bayern starlet.
A youth product of Bayern Munich’s academy, the lanky forward also had spells at VV Hekelingen, Spartaan, ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord. In 2017, he joined Bayern’s youth setup and went on to make a name for himself during his spell there.
Successive promotions followed in the last few years as Zirkzee was given a shot at the first-team over the last season despite being a part of the reserves. He made his senior debut against Tottenham last season in the Champions League. His first goal came against Freiburg in the Bundesliga.
Last season he went on to score 4 goals in 9 league games. He has started this season a bit slowly with most of his appearances coming for the reserves. Zirkzee is currently a part of the Netherlands U-21 side after progressing through the lower levels.
Even the most ardent of Everton fans wouldn’t have expected Dominic Calvert-Lewin to perform at this rate this season. The English forward has bagged an astonishing 11 goals in 16 league games as Everton still try to regain some of their early-season form. However, the fact that his backup is just Cenk Tosun should be a bit worrying.
The Turkish striker last scored for the club back in March 2019. It shows that the club needs another competent striker. Add to that, Calvert-Lewin could be out with injury for a while, which would leave Everton in a spot of bother. Adding a young and upcoming striker like Joshua Zirkzee would be a decent move from the club.
It is clear that the academy graduate is unlikely to displace a fully fit and firing Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich. Opportunities will be hard to come by and Everton should look to use that to their advantage.
The Dutch striker has shown good potential in the limited opportunities he has received and can be a good signing for the Toffees. With a loan-to-buy deal being discussed it would also give them the time to decide whether they want him on a permanent basis at the end of the season.