Following his lack of game time at Everton, Turkish forward Cenk Tosun has joined Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the season.
The 28-year-old has struggled to make an impact at Goodison Park since his £27m move from Besiktas in 2018. He has struggled to score nine goals in 44 Premier League appearances and has been in and out of the team this season.
Tosun is contracted until 2022, and while it seems likely he will leave permanently in the summer, Everton have opted to move him out on a temporary basis till the rest of the season with Palace taking advantage. Palace have been short in front of goal and the addition of the striker will improve the club’s productivity in front of goal despite lying ninth in the Premier League. Roy Hodgson’s side are also the division’s second-lowest scorers this season.
Speaking about the deal, Palace boss Roy Hodgson said Tosun could make his Palace debut as early as Saturday, when the club welcome Arsenal in the lunchtime kick-off.
Hodgson said: “It’s nice now to get a second bite at the cherry with him, especially at a time when we are in desperate need of improving our strikeforce.
“He is a goalscorer, but a hard-working goalscorer as well. He is in contention for the weekend and we are very grateful to Everton for allowing us to complete the move so quickly because we still have eight players missing.
“If I choose him tomorrow, I don’t have any doubts he’ll be ready for the task.”
After sealing the deal, Palace chairman Steve Parish said: “We’re delighted to have secured Cenk’s services for the remainder of this season.
“We’ve enjoyed a great first half of the campaign and Cenk’s arrival will bolster our squad as we push for a top-half Premier League finish.
“Cenk has a proven record as a goal-scorer and we’ve admired him for some time, so I’m very pleased to welcome him to Crystal Palace.”
Hoşgeldin Cenk!#CPFC
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 10, 2020
