The Liverpool Echo’s head of sport David Prentice has recently launched a defence Everton’s Turkish striker Cenk Tosun.
During the January transfer window in 2018, the Toffees sealed the arrival of the 29-year-old frontman from Besiktas for a £20.25m fee (per Transfermarkt).
Since his arrival at Goodison Park, Tosun has made 54 appearances for Everton in which he has managed to bag just 10 goals and provide six assists.
So far this season, the Turkish striker has made three Premier League appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side but he has bagged neither a goal nor an assist (per WhoScored).
However, during the latest episode of the Liverpool Echo’s Royal Blue: The Everton FC Podcast, Prentice defended the player’s ability despite his lack of goal involvements.
He said: “Personally, I’m a fan [of Tosun]. I’ve qualified that, you know, I’m not [like], ‘Wow, he’s one of the greatest centre-forwards I’ve seen play for Everton.’
“What he does, he does well. He’s a good finisher. He’s not the most mobile centre-forward you’ll ever find, but he’s good at finding pockets of space in the box and finishing them off.
“He does have a little bit more of a turn of pace than you think he has. That goal against Crystal Palace, last season or the season before, took us all by surprise.
“So, he does have quality and there are far less reliable options in the Premier League than him.”
TIF Thoughts on what David Prentice said about Cenk Tosun…
As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, he believes that Tosun is a capable squad player for the Toffees despite his poor performances this season.
If a transfer offer arrived for Cenk Tosun in January, would you want it accepted?
Yes, he's not that good
No, he's a solid player
While Prentice defended Tosun during the latest episode of the podcast, the 29-year-old striker has still been the worst-performing player currently in Everton’s squad this season.
However, when discussing Tosun recently, Ancelotti also praised the striker by stating that “he is really good in the box” before concluding, “I like his quality” (per Liverpool Echo).
So, it is clear that the Turkish forward has the backing of the management staff at Goodison Park and, hopefully, that can begin to pay dividends on the pitch.