Cenk Tosun (Getty Images)
According to the Birmingham Live, West Brom have been linked with a loan move for out-of-favour Everton striker Cenk Tosun ahead of the January transfer window.
The Turkish international has found regular minutes hard to come by at Goodison Park this season after recovering from his ACL injury. New Baggies boss Sam Allardyce was the man responsible for bringing Tosun to Everton back in January 2018 and as per the report (h/t Birmingham Live), he could be set for a reunion with the former England boss at The Hawthorns next month.
Tosun enjoyed a positive start to life in Merseyside under Allardyce following his £27m move from Besiktas. Playing in a system that suited him perfectly, the Turk hit the ground running with 5 goals in 14 league appearances towards the second half of the 2017-18 campaign.
However, injuries and a shift in style under Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti have pushed him down the pecking order at Everton. Tosun made a handful of appearances on loan at Crystal Palace last season and has featured just four times off the bench in the Premier League for the Toffees so far this term.
Meanwhile, West Brom made a dismal start to the campaign under former boss Slaven Bilic that sees them in the midst of a relegation battle.
With plenty of crunch fixtures to follow in the coming months, West Brom need to start putting up some points on the board to avoid relegation. Allardyce has made reinforcements at the back a priority heading into the winter market (h/t Birmingham Live) but the Baggies also have several pressing concerns at the other end.
That they have managed just 10 goals in 14 games so far clearly underlines the need to bolster the attack next month. West Brom forked out a staggering £15million to rope in Karlan Grant from Huddersfield Town before the domestic deadline, with Kenneth Zohore moving out on loan to Millwall. But the new signing has struggled to deliver the goods up top, scoring just once in 10 league outings for the Baggies so far.
With Hal Robson-Kanu and Charlie Austin being peripheral figures in the set-up, West Brom definitely need to look for an experienced striker in the January window, Cenk Tosun could be a useful addition to the club’s ranks as they bid to hold on to their top-flight status.
The Turk hasn’t really done an awful lot at Everton over the past 12 months but he did enjoy purple patch in front of goal under Allardyce at Goodison Park earlier in his career. The 29-year-old would certainly provide some much-needed experience and firepower to West Brom’s forward line if he manages to rediscover his form.
Given his struggles with injuries in recent times, Cenk Tosun might not be the most lucrative addition to West Brom’s attack in January. However, with finances tight due to the repercussions of the pandemic, the Baggies don’t really have the liberty to buy their way out of trouble.
The 29-year-old boasts a decent track record in his professional career and he could be a real asset for the Baggies in their relegation battle if Allardyce manages to get him firing once again.