Despite flashes of promise, it simply hasn’t worked out for Cenk Tosun at Everton.
Signed from Besiktas in 2018 for a fee of £27m, the Toffees took a calculated gamble on a well-rounded Turkish striker who had exhibited true brilliance in his homeland.
A failed loan spell and just 16 goals and assists in 54 appearances later, Tosun looks set for a Goodison Park exit – but the £8.1m-rated man may have one last shot at redemption.
Carlo Ancelotti may entrust Tosun with one last chance to prove himself. The Italian is reportedly set to rest the league’s top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin during a congested winter period of games.
That could mean Tosun gets a rare start in the midweek fixture against Leicester at the King Power Stadium.
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To an extent, there is a good rationale behind this decision; Calvert-Lewin has been such a formidable attacking outlet and a conduit for the success of the team that losing him would be nothing short of catastrophic.
However, comments by pundit Darren Bent to Football Insider are more than justified. There is arguably as much risk in nullifying any striking threat with Tosun’s inconsistency than in any hypothetical strain on the Blues’ top scorer. Bent said:
If something was to happen to Calvert-Lewin, I fear the worst for them because he is so important to what they do, I don’t know what they’d do.
You’re talking about the guy who’s the top scorer in the Premier League being replaced by Cenk Tosun, who they tried to get rid of. That’s it right there in a nutshell.
It remains to be seen as to whether Tosun could revitalise his stagnating Toffees career, but there should be as much caution in resting key personnel as much as there is an injury threat to the likes of Calvert-Lewin.
