Cenk Tosun bids emotional farewell to Besiktas fans
By Paul Taylor
Cenk Tosun scored on what could be his final appearance for Besiktas, ahead of his proposed £25 million move to Everton.
Early on Thursday, The Guardian‘s Ed Aarons reported Everton had provisionally agreed a £25 million fee for Cenk Tosun, ahead of next month’s transfer window. Aarons noted the deal would be for four and a half years.
Before the end of the day, however, Goal.com’s Ante Jukic referenced comments from Metin Albayrak, spokesman for the Besiktas board of directors, denying a deal had been agreed with Everton. Albayrak said:
"“There is no offer for Cenk Tosun. We are only learning this from the press, and if an offer comes to us, we will decide.”"
Whatever the truth, the reality is Tosun is likely headed to Merseyside at some point during January. In that respect, his actions on Thursday night, sure looked like those of a player who’s preparing to leave Besiktas.
In potentially his final game for his current club, the 26-year-old scored once in a Turkish Cup win over Osmanlispor. As noted by the Daily Mail‘s Simon Jones, the supporters reacted to the goal, by giving him a standing ovation.
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Tosun responded, by bowing to the Besiktas fans and then repeatedly gesturing towards them. For all intents and purposes, he was essentially bidding an emotional farewell to everyone connected with the club.
The Turkish international was substituted with eight minutes to go, leading to another standing ovation. And then following the match, he walked around the pitch one last time to lap up the atmosphere.
According to Jones, Tosun will apparently fly to Liverpool on Friday, in anticipation of finalising his transfer. In the process, he will become Sam Allardyce’s first singing, since taking over as Everton boss.
A lot of Blues fans will understandably be unfamiliar with the German-born forward, whose attributes include strength and an excellent work-rate off the ball. He is enjoying a fine campaign and has already scored 13 goals in all competitions, putting him on course to beat last season’s career-best total of 24.
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With speculation increasing that Everton have agreed a fee for Tosun, what’s your opinion? Do you agree with the signing or not, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.