“I’ll show everyone in England who is Cenk Tosun”

If Everton strikers were hoping that Cenk Tosun would hit the ground running as the second coming of Romelu Lukaku, then that myth has been sadly shattered. That is not to say that the forward will eventually come good, but for now he’s having a hard time adapting to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, which has led to his being on the bench the last couple of games.

Speaking to Turkish outlet Haberturk (via the Liverpool Echo), Tosun is adamant that there’s more to come from the player who was a raving success at Besiktas before his January transfer window move to Everton.

“It’s not easy to adjust to a new environment, a new atmosphere, new friends and even a new house. Even though I was born in Europe, this situation is different.

“I moved from the Turkish league where I played for years to the toughest league in the world. It’s hard to adapt. Sam Allardyce told me that too.

“He always talks to me. I have zero problems. He told me that when I get over my issues with adapting to the league and team, I’ll be a regular starter.”

The forward has a rabid following back in Turkey and those Besiktas fans have been interacting with Evertonians in droves over the last few weeks. Their confusion as to why he hasn’t played, and when he has, why he’s been isolated up top, matches the ire of Blues whose frustration at Allardyce’s tactics is hitting a fever pitch.

He continued to say that he was nowhere near done yet -

“I’ve no interest going back to Turkey at this point. Yes I’m a Besiktas fan, but I’ll never return to them without fighting and achieving things in Everton. That’s not me.

“I’ll show everyone in England who is Cenk Tosun. I have a dream. I never quit a work before completing it.

“After I complete my mission here, and if the conditions are suitable I’d love to go back to Turkey but it’s too early for that.

“I’ve just started to know my team-mates. In Besiktas, my team-mates knew where I was going be on the pitch before they passed. They knew what I was going to do. Here too they’ll learn that with time.”

From what we saw of Tosun before he signed, especially in his performances in European competition, the player has the physique and skillset to compete, but like so many new players in the Everton setup, simply needs some time to adapt and pick up the Blues’ identity.

The only problem is no one, even at Everton, quite knows what that identity is.