Roy Hodgson’s revival after his embarrassing end as England manager has been nothing short of remarkable. He has taken an under-strength Crystal Palace side, his boyhood club, and not only kept them alive in the Premier League but seen them well clear of relegation danger.
Despite an injury catalogue akin to one you might find in Argos, he has masterminded the Eagles to ninth in the top-flight this season. Furthermore, Palace are the second-lowest scorers in the division, but after Cenk Tosun’s arrival on loan from Everton, that could be about to change.
Tosun has been out of sorts since arriving at Goodison Park, with a paltry return of nine goals from 44 Premier League matches. In contrast, his international form has been spectacular, propelling Turkey to the 2020 European Championships, scoring five times during qualifying, in six appearances. Further evidence he has the clinical edge to thrive at the top comes from his time with Besiktas, where he scored 20 Super Lig goals in his final full season in his native Turkey.
The move to Crystal Palace is critical to resetting Tosun’s career, and Hodgson could be the man to get him firing domestically. You only have to look at Jordan Ayew to see how the former England boss can transform a player, and the Ghanian striker is having one of his best scoring seasons to date, finding the back of the net five times in the Premier League. Tosun can not only provide extra cover in attacking areas but also challenge for Ayew’s starting place, in a move that could get the best out of the pair.
Crystal Palace have created the fewest number of big chances in the Premier League this campaign. But because they have one of the most disciplined defences in the division, courtesy of Hodgson, more often than not, they only need to grab a goal to come away with the points. In spite of his previously poor strike rate of 0.2 with Everton, Tosun should provide the extra attacking threat Crystal Palace require to stay clear of the relegation battle and give the striker some momentum heading into the European Championships.
