After failing to adequately replace Romelu Lukaku last summer, Everton wasted little time in bringing in a forward in the January transfer window, signing Cenk Tosun from Turkish side Besiktas for a reported fee of around £25 million.
On sealing the deal, manager Sam Allardyce was very clear that he feels the club have pulled off a major coup.
“He is Turkey’s number one striker and has scored goals in the Champions League and the Turkish League. I don’t think you can look any more than we have done and, for the price, this is the best in Europe at the moment.”
The History
Born in Germany, Tosun linked up with Eintracht Frankfurt in 1997 at the age of six and progressed to make his professional debut in May 2010.
But the frontman failed to make the grade in Germany as a youngster and joined Turkish outfit Gaziantepspor in January 2011.
He made an immediate impact, registering 10 goals and six assists in 14 league appearances.
Tosun stayed with Gaziantepspor until February 2014, finishing with 44 goals and 23 assists from 144 matches in all competitions.
The striker then joined Besiktas on a five-year deal worth nearly €500,000. He initially found it difficult to break into the starting XI, with big-name forwards Demba Ba and Mario Gomez ahead of him in the pecking order.
But Tosun became a regular at the start of the 2016/17 campaign and has produced 28 goals and five assists in 49 league appearances over the last 18 months.
The 26-year-old has also gained valuable UEFA Champions League experience, producing four goals and two assists in six matches this season as Besiktas secured a place in the last 16.
Tosun represented Germany at youth level before pledging his allegiance to Turkey.
He made his senior debut against Holland in October 2013 and has made 25 appearances for his country, totalling eight goals and three assists.
The Prospects
The 26-year-old boasts several attributes that should enable him to make an impact in the Premier League.
Standing six feet tall, Tosun offers a sound aerial threat and has the strength to hold off defenders, bringing team-mates into play. Indeed, Tosun highlighted this quality in his first interview with the club.
“The Premier League is a strong league, I know that, so my own physical strength will help me. Also I can use both feet the same and I believe I am a good striker in the box.”
But Tosun’s ability to take on defenders highlights that he is far from the stereotypical target man normally associated with Allardyce’s teams.
Indeed, the Everton boss was quick to highlight the new signing’s versatility.
“He is an all-rounder, with good movement. He is two-footed, not the biggest but efficient in the air and in the box – he gets good space to get his head on the ball. “
The striker’s mobility allows him to elude his markers and he’ll often drop deep or drift to wide areas to create space for team-mates; that could benefit Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson.
The underlying statistics offer further indication that he provides a major upgrade in attack for the Toffees.
This season, the Tosun has fired 63% of his shots from inside the penalty area, with an effort every 22.6 minutes in league action and every 29.9 in Europe.
Oumar Niasse leads the way for Everton so far in the campaign, averaging a goal attempt every 28.6 minutes, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin (41.2) is even less impressive in that regard.
Between the pair, they have managed just eight league goals.
But one concern regarding Tosun’s prospects is whether he can wrestle penalty duties from Rooney.
Nine of his 28 league goals over the last 18 months have come from the spot, so losing penalties would have an impact on his output.
However, it’s worth noting he has an exceptional record when it comes to penalties and has scored 24 of 25 attempts over the course of his career.
If he usurps Rooney in the pecking order, that would in turn dent the veteran’s future tallies. Despite being stationed in a withdrawn role, Rooney has still managed 5.2 points per match, level with Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, for example.
Bearing in mind that Allardyce favours a lone striker set-up, Tosun’s arrival will surely limit Calvert-Lewin’s pitch-time.
Having started nine of the last 10 Gameweeks, the 20-year-old has risen in price from 5.0 to 5.5 in recent weeks and boasts a 12% ownership in FPL. However, he now looks far more likely to earn minutes off the bench from here on.
Given that Rooney started the season valued at 7.5 and classified as a forward, Tosun looks set to come in at that price point.
Rooney aside, managers have been starved of compelling options in that bracket and should Tosun show early form, we can expect immediate interest, with Firmino and Alvaro Morata owners considering the swap.
Although Everton are without a win in their last four, the upturn in form since Allardyce’s appointment at Goodison Park suggests that Tosun could deliver.
A trip to Wembley is up next for the Toffees and that match-up should provide Fantasy managers with an early insight as to what we can expect.
The schedule after that (WBA LEI ars CRY wat bur BHA stk) is kind all the way up to Gameweek 31, increasing the chances of Tosun becoming a viable mid-price option.
But Everton’s goal threat since Allardyce took charge is worrying.
Over his eight Gameweeks as manager, the Toffees sit in the bottom two for shots (58), efforts in the box (39), attempts on target (21) and big chances (eight).
Everton’s ability to create chances will surely need to improve if Tosun is to be given the opportunities to impress and figure in our 2018 plans.
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