Food for thought: What does the arrival of £27m attacker mean to this 27-year-old Everton forward

Should Oumar Niasse Leave Everton After Cenk Tosun’s Arrival?

Everton have completed the £27m signing of Cenk Tosun from Besiktas and while this piece of news sent waves of happiness across fans, it could raise an even bigger question mark over Oumar Niasse’s future with the club. The striker managed to foray into the starting lineup and even scored some goals for Everton but with Tosun in the picture, his inclusion in the starting lineup looks extremely doubtful.

Ever since Romelu Lukaku departed Goodison Park to play for Manchester United last summer, Everton have faced a shocking lack of options up front. Their dearth of attacking power pushed them into the dredges of relegation danger and that eventually led to the sacking of Ronald Koeman.

David Unsworth served a temporary spell as manager and allowed first-team opportunities for Niasse. The player proved to be quite impressive and put up a solid show along with Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The young duo turned things around temporarily and Niasse deserves credit for that but his first-team chances in the squad look increasingly limited, now that Tosun has arrived.

At 27 years of age, Niasse cannot afford to let his career rot in this manner. He may have time left but he is in dire need of game time to develop his skills further and carve a niche for himself. For that to happen, an exit from the club is likely to be the best option.

 

Over the summer, Brighton & Hove Albion were understood to be interested in him. The Seagulls are in need of strengthening their attack and the January window is the ideal opportunity for them to do just that.

Despite being a newly-promoted side, they have managed to do quite well for themselves. Currently gracing the 12th spot in the points table, they are more than capable of pushing for a higher finish and a proven attacker like Niasse could prove to be a boost.

The Senegalese striker is experienced and he displayed admirable skills whenever he played for Everton this season. Brighton are in dire need of a goalscorer and that is further illustrated by the fact that they have only managed to score 3 goals in their last 7 Premier League matches. This does paint a worrisome picture for Chris Hughton, thus making a move for Niasse seems like a necessity at this point.

As far as the striker is concerned, joining Brighton will allow him to stay and compete in the Premier League while also providing a lot of scope for regular game time. Given his latest exploits, he does not lack talent and maybe a proper run of games is what he needs to revive his career.