Is Signing Cenk Tosun Over Olivier Giroud The Right Move For Everton?
Everton are in dire need of signing a new striker and the ongoing January window will present them with the ideal opportunity to do just that. They have been linked with signing Cenk Tosun from Besiktas and Olivier Giroud from Arsenal as of now but if latest reports are to be believed, the Toffees are closer to securing a deal for Tosun.
It hasn’t been confirmed by official parties yet but considering how desperately Sam Allardyce needs a new striker, they are likely to sign whoever is readily available. In that case, Tosun might have an upper edge when compared to Giroud because the Gunners may not be too happy about letting him leave.
That said, which player should Everton really go for?
The best argument for signing Giroud would be his experience. He has been a part of the top-flight with Arsenal since 2012 and has even gone on to score over 100 goals for the club. On the flipside, Tosun has never really played in England but when it comes to scoring goals, he has proven to be quite lethal.
This season itself, the 26-year-old has scored 14 goals across competitions for Besiktas. Primarily playing as a centre-forward, Allardyce will be happy to learn that the player can also be deployed on the left wing. However, given the need at Goodison Park, Tosun is likely to play as the solitary striker up front.
Ever since Romelu Lukaku left the club to join Manchester United over the summer, the Toffees have been devoid of some much-needed pace and goalscoring threat up front. Their lack of goalscoring threat was brutally highlighted in their recent game against Manchester United. Even though the Red Devils were playing a deeply defensive game, Everton failed to capitalise and seemed weak on the counter-attack as well.
Of late, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has proven to be quite influential up front but that cannot be a long-term option for the club. Also, with uncertainty shrouding Oumar Niasse’s future, they need somebody who can score goals day in and day out. To that extent, Tosun does seem like a good enough option. Moreover, he is five years younger than Giroud and at 26 years of age, he is close to hitting his prime.
Also, Tosun is known to operate in a different way when compared to Giroud. He often drops deep and involves himself in the build-up play as well and that could prove to be an interesting trait for Allardyce to experiment with. The Toffees have managed to pull themselves out of relegation danger and settle at 9th spot but if they are to progress higher and salvage the rest of the season, signing a player like Tosun is likely to be a step in the right direction.