Cenk Tosun could have scored the goals required to fire Newcastle United to safety.
Newcastle United’s failure to find a buyer for Dwight Gayle could have supporters mopping the sweat from their brow now the transfer window is shut for another few months.
After all, if last season’s 23-goal talisman had departed St James’ Park without a replacement arriving, that would have left Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joselu as Newcastle’s only senior strikers.
Yes, that is the wholly unreliable Mitrovic (below) currently suspended for three games after elbowing West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini and the Joselu who managed just four Premier League goals for Stoke City.
However, Newcastle would have had more room to manoeuvre had they sealed the signing of Turkish international goal-machine Cenk Tosun on deadline day.
Turkish publication Haber 1903 claimed that The Magpies had made an £8 million move to sign the 26-year-old, who inspired Besiktas to two straight Super Lig titles in the last two seasons.
Available and affordable
NTV Spor report that Newcastle were outbid by Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, which rather sums up their summer, as The Eagles agreed a £12.5 million fee. However, the deal did not go through because Besiktas wanted the money up front while Palace were only willing to spread the sum over a period of 24 months.
Yet, the fact that Tosun was available for £12.5 million, a snip in today’s market, and Newcastle did not press ahead with a deal will only further frustrate a fan base growing increasingly disillusioned with owner Mike Ashley’s refusal to put his hand in his pocket.
Tosun exploded onto the scene last season with 20 goals in 33 league games, plus a scarcely believable bicycle kick against Benfica that was voted the best goal of the Champions League group stage by UEFA.
Instead, Newcastle will be forced to rely on three players who have scored a combined 28 goals in 120 Premier League appearances.
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