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Cenk Tosun could be in Everton squad for Liverpool tie, says Sam Allardyce
Everton are considering unleashing their new £27 million striker Cenk Tosun in Friday’s FA Cup tie against Liverpool but face a race against time to confirm his registration.
Tosun must complete the formalities of his switch by noon on Friday to be included in Sam Allardyce’s squad at Anfield.
The 26-year-old will move from Besiktas, ending a six-month search for a replacement for Romelu Lukaku. Allardyce is tempted to name Tosun as a substitute.
“I think probably. If he is available for the bench I think that is the best I’m going to get,” said Allardyce.
“The situation has dragged on for a period of time, they’ve finished just before Christmas so there has been a period where he has not done any training. We would be cautious but it is not impossible to get him in the squad on the bench.
“He’s a bit of an all rounder. He has got some good movement, two footed. He’s not the biggest but he’s efficient in the air in the box. He gets good space between defenders to get his head on it. We will try to break him in gently but I don’t think you break anyone in gently in January transfer windows. It is more sleeves rolled up and get on with it.”
After prolonged negotiations, officials from both clubs shook hands during talks in London on Wednesday. Tosun was undergoing a medical over the last 24 hours.
“We have searched high and low, before I arrived, for a striker. This is the one we focused on,” said Allardyce.
“There is going to be a massive pressure on him to be successful straight away, which I’m cautious about. We can’t have researched any more and can’t have looked at the qualities of the player, not just from a talent or a goal-scoring point of view, but also a resilient and a mentality point of view. This lad looks like he’s got a huge, strong mentality.
"He is a player who is desperate to come to play in the Premier League so I like that sound of all of what he is saying and what he has done in the past as a footballer, particularly recently as he is Turkey’s No 1 striker. He has scored goals in the Champions League, he has scored goals in the league. I don’t think you can look at more than what we have done and think that this is, for what is available at the price we are paying, the best in Europe at the moment.”
Allardyce intends to select an experienced line-up against Liverpool.
“You can't not go with your strongest side to Anfield,” he said.
“We've had a few days rest and recuperated. I think the players will be wanting to be selected.
“We want to pick the best team we can to compete against Liverpool. And give it our best shot, although I can't honestly tell you what my best team is just yet. Sometimes it looks like it and other times it doesn't look quite right. There have been one or two glitches which I didn't expect in last few games that I need to iron out.”