Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace have sent Cenk Tosun back to Everton after the Premier League striker suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Cenk Tosun’s hopes of sealing a £20 million move to Crystal Palace appears to have gone up in smoke but, according to The Mirror (5 March, page 59), the striker’s stay at Selhurst Park was always likely to be a short one.
With The Eagles crying out for a centre-forward capable of forming an effective partnership with Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew in the final third, Roy Hodgson turned to a man who had found the target just nine times in 44 Premier League games at Everton.
Tosun marked his full debut in Palace colours with a looping header in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City but it seems unlikely that he will be given the chance to build on that impressive start.
The former Besiktas talisman has returned to Goodison Park well ahead of schedule after suffering a serious knee injury which also appears to have scuppered his dreams of featuring at Euro 2020 for Turkey.
But, when it comes to his future at club level, it seems that very little has changed.
Crystal Palace, the Mirror claims, were always set to send Tosun back to Everton in the summer even before that cruel blow brought a premature end to his season.
“I am struggling to sleep,” said a distraught Tosun. “I am so upset.”
You’d need a heart of stone not to feel a pang of sympathy for a man who was relishing a fresh start at Selhurst Park after falling out of favour at Everton.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
