Why West Brom must make an attempt to land Cenk Tosun
According to the Turkish website Sporx (h/t Daily Express), West Brom are considering an approach for Everton centre-forward Cenk Tosun.
The 29-year-old arrived at Everton from Besiktas in January 2018. However, he has failed to establish himself so far at Goodison Park.
Moreover, the excellent form of young strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison saw Cenk Tosun fall down the pecking order at Everton this season. With first-team opportunities very limited, the Turkish international saw himself being shipped off to rivals Crystal Palace on loan back in January.
However, luck seemed to have not favoured Tosun as he could manage just five appearances for the Eagles, before picking up an anterior cruciate ligament injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
To date, he has made 51 appearances for the Toffees and has 10 goals and six assists to his name, suggesting that his time at Everton has been one of the most difficult phases in his career.
With the side already having four strikers in their ranks apart from Tosun, opportunities will be rare for him in the future.
Tosun can offer West Brom more options in front of goal
The Slaven Bilic-led side finished second in the Championship this year and will feature in the top-flight next season. The report also claims that the Baggies are desperate to bolster their attacking options ahead of next season and have identified Tosun as a potential candidate.
Meanwhile, for West Brom, the bulk of the scoring has come from the boots of veteran forwards Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu. Both the strikers have scored a combined 20 goals for them in the league this season.
However, the two are already past their thirties and clearly not in their prime anymore. It remains to be seen how they adapt to the more physically challenging Premier League next season.
Apart from these two, West Brom just have Kenneth Zohore as a back-up but the 26-year-old has been far from impressive, scoring just three goals from his 17 league appearances.
Considering all this, West Brom’s decision to bring an experienced striker such as Tosun seems like a safe bet at the moment. Leaving aside his difficult spell with the Toffees, Tosun is a proven goal-scorer, having scored a whopping 64 times for former side Besiktas from 142 matches across all competitions.
Moreover, he earns only around £60,000-a-week at Everton and will cost the Baggies around £7.2million-£9million. Hence, they should push ahead in their pursuit of Tosun.
Read more
- Why West Brom should take a punt on Domagoj Vida
- West Brom willing to cut their losses on £8m flop star Kenneth Zohore – The right decision by Bilic?
- Why West Brom must hold on to attacking midfielder Filip Krovinovic
Verdict
Austin and Robson-Kanu’s age remains a cause of concern for West Brom, considering their participation in the top-flight next season. Thus, a move for the Tosun is, by all means, a welcome sign as it will also offer them more strength in the attack. Also, being in the sidelines for so long, Tosun will be eager to prove a point, which, in turn, would be beneficial for the Baggies.
