Tosun: I will work very hard for this club

This has got to have been the longest week ever for Everton fans, and even more so for Cenk Tosun. He has been out of action since soon after Christmas Day with his move to Everton seemingly in limbo for some time before it got confirmed last Friday, and the striker is raring to go for the Blues, as this interview with evertontv shows.

“I would like to promise everyone here that I will run until I drop and I will work very hard for this club.

“I think I am ready [to assume the responsibility of scoring goals for Everton]. We have a very good team. Maybe we had an unlucky first half of the season with regards to scoring goals but there are some quality strikers in this team and in the second half of the season I am hoping to score a lot more goals.

“I can say that I am a very good and dangerous striker when I am in the penalty box. I believe this. It is a great plus that I can use both of my feet. If I get a chance in the penalty box, I usually score. I can also say that I am very strong, which is very important in England. But there are still things about me that I can work at and improve.”

The Turkish forward’s choice of words is very interesting especially because of the criticism Romelu Lukaku received during his time with the Toffees for being ‘lazy’ as he didn’t appear to run a lot.

As we have seen in the last few weeks, Tosun has developed a rabid fan following at Besiktas, and many of those fans have been active on Everton social media channels wishing the player all the best, and in some cases becoming new Blues to continue supporting their star striker.

“To leave a big club like Besiktas and their big supporters to open a new chapter in my career was not easy.

“There was a very special bond between me and the supporters there. I have scored very important goals and earned very important points, won important cups and experienced becoming the champions of the league twice.

“Besiktas really has a big place in my life. I should thank these clubs; Gaziantepspor and, especially, Besiktas. The Bayern Munich game is a big game in the Champions League and everyone in the world will be watching.

“But, for me, it was the right time to move on and have a new experience in my life. It is a great source of happiness to sign for a team like Everton.”

The Premier League will provide a different physical challenge for the German-born player, but he is ready for it.

“I have been feeling really great physically for the past two years. I scored a lot of goals last year. It was the best season of my career. This year in the Champions League I scored four goals and had two assists in six games.

“The English League is a very good league and you need to think as if every week you are playing in the Champions League. I believe that I will adjust to playing in this league.

“My body feels great at the moment, I am at the best age as a footballer and, God willing, I will improve more and better myself as a player.”