Why Everton should keep hold of Cenk Tosun amidst European interest

According to a report from Turkish Football, Everton outcast Cenk Tosun has rejected offers from Turkey and Europe to remain in the Premier League.

The Turkey international, 28, has had an extremely tough time on Merseyside, scoring just eight goals in 39 games since joining from Besiktas for £27million during the 2018 January transfer window. He scored just four goals and provided three assists in 29 appearances for Everton in all competitions last term.

The striker was left on the bench during the 0-0 stalemate at Selhurst Park and Marco Silva seems to be keen to move Cenk Tosun on and recoup as much amount as possible.

But Tosun wants to stay at Goodison Park and fight for his place, even though he has fallen further down the pecking order following the arrival of Moise Kean from Juventus.

Following the end of the English transfer window, Silva, however, should change his mind and keep hold of Tosun to break into the top-six this season.

The Toffees were interested in signing Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace and made several attempts to sign the Ivorian this summer. However, Crystal Palace were reluctant to sell their star man, having already lost Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United.

Zaha lined up alongside Andros Townsend in a two-pronged Eagles attack last season and maybe Silva wanted to sign the Ivory Coast international with the hope of using him up front and not in the wide areas.

Failure to land him should have left the Portuguese tactician disappointed and having already struggled to break Palace’s resolute defence on Saturday, Everton cannot afford to lose any attackers now.

Tosun may have struggled to live up to the expectations at the Goodison Park but he certainly can be a good option to have from the bench. Dominic Calvert-Lewin started the first game and Moise Kean came off the bench, yet the Toffees could only manage a point at Selhurst Park.

As Calvert-Lewin and Kean are young, Silva cannot entirely rely on them for consistent supply of goals.

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Thus, Tosun is a player who needs to be kept hold of without any second thoughts. He is a senior figure in this Everton team and even though he hasn’t set the world alight in England, the Turkish forward’s experience in tricky games could come really handy.

Verdict

For an Everton side challenging the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ and aiming to win trophies this season, they cannot afford to lose any players now.