Transfer story
The Eagles look to sign Besiktas striker Cenk Tosun for an approximate price of £11m. Frank de Boer and Crystal Palace have had plenty to think about as they have lost 3 out of 3 games, have struggled to get their attacking rhythm, pace and counter attacking power going. Their defensive woes have added salt to their wounds over the past few weeks.
According to sources, Rafa Benitez too is interested in landing the Turkish forward at St. James Park as one of their forwards, Dwight Gayle, is set to move to Craven Cottage, though he has admitted he wants to stay.
Crystal Palace have failed to score any goals so far, having lost to Huddersfield Town, Liverpool and Swansea.
The highly talented and reputed front three with the likes of Benteke, Townsend, Zaha (currently injured), Puncheon and Cabaye have looked clueless at times and lacked the fluidity.
Player stats
Cenk Tosun was born in Germany but represents Turkey as an international player. He has scored 5 goals for his nation is 18 appearances. He earned his first cap in 2013. Tosun also has been involved in the U-21 setup for Turkey.
He broke onto the scene last season, where he troubled quite a few defences, scoring 24 goals and creating 9 of them. Before Besiktas, he was at Gaziantepspor, where he contributed 61 goals in 109 appearances, scoring 39 and assisting 22. He is a prime target now for many English clubs and is 26 years of age.
What’ll he offer the club?
He will offer change to the system, a change to the tactics. He will bring up the morale of a team that is low on confidence and will bring the much-needed freshness up front.
Also, he will increase competition as Benteke looks asleep half of time in a game and has missed some sitters already this season.
Tosun is a lethal finisher and strikes the ball with some venom. He is a different kind of a striker, unlike Benteke, his strength doesn’t lie in tussling inside the box. He is a dribbler and creator at times and is more subtle compared to Benteke who is a target-man.
He loves drilling and cutting inside and finishing, something that a team needs when their penetration levels are almost negligible.
Worth the buy?
Yes. He will bring joy and optimism to fans who are in desperate need of something to cheer about. He is an indirect set-piece threat and can become a crucial eleventh-hour deal.
