Kealan Hughes

Tue 5 January 2021 7:45, UK

West Brom are interested in a loan move for Everton player Cenk Tosun, according to Sky Sports but Baggies fans should be very wary. 

The Baggies have one domestic loan left available this season following the arrival of Conor Gallagher.

That leaves boss Sam Allardyce in a tricky situation, as he is also apparently keen on bolstering the defence.

Mamadou Sakho is another reported target, so the former England boss is aiming to sign players he knows well.

Tosun – on a reported £75k-a-week – signed for Sam Allardyce while he was at Everton for £27m, so like Sakho he has worked with him before.

A loan deal for Tosun could also include the option of a permanent switch at the end of the campaign.

Avoiding past mistakes

As mentioned, Allardyce was the man responsible for bringing Tosun to Everton in a deal that hasn’t worked out.

The considerable outlay spent on the striker suggested that the goals would flow.

However, not only has Tosun failed to deliver with just 10 goals in 57 games on Merseyside, but he has not really suited Premier League football.

Take his loan move to Crystal Palace last season, for example, where he scored one goal in five games.

That spell showed he failed to make an immediate impact, which the Baggies can ill-afford currently.

Allardyce must ensure this one domestic loanee is put to good use, and that means finding a proven Premier League player.

A defender may be the more urgent priority given the 13 goals conceded in four games since Slaven Bilic left.

Failing that, a pacy forward like Dan James may be more useful, with the winger recently linked to West Brom.

To underline matters, Tosun hasn’t featured regularly in the league since 2018/19.

It will take him time to get up to speed, therefore, while a return of 0.2 key passes and 64% pass accuracy this term, per WhoScored, is yet more proof that he is not the right man to bring in.

In other West Brom news, some supporters are keen to sign Hamza Choudhury on loan.