Cenk Tosun has been on fire since returning to first-team action three weeks ago.
The Turkey international star has scored four times in his last three games for the Toffees but he almost joined another Premier League club.
The former Besiktas man revealed his transfer to Crystal Palace was 90 percent complete at the beginning of the season.
Fortunately for Everton, Tosun did not end up joining the Eagles.
“Over the summer, the transfer to Crystal Palace was 90%,” he told Turkish newspaper Milliyet.
The 26-year-old revealed that it was Everton manager Sam Allardyce who managed to convince him to join the Merseyside based club.
Interestingly enough Allardyce also wanted him while he was at Palace.
See More: 5 Little Known Facts About £27m Everton Signing Cenk Tosun
“Sam contacted me while he was in charge of Palace, he wanted me when he was their manager,” Tosun added.
“He rekindled interest after taking over at Everton and told me he watched my matches and wanted to see me in his team.
“He told me he wanted me because he thought I would be useful to Everton.”
So it turns out Big Sam has had a long-term interest in the powerful striker.
It is perhaps little surprise considering the kind of form Tosun was in. The former Besiktas man played an important role in the Black Eagles winning the league title for two successive seasons.
The Turkish international scored 14 goals and provided three assists for Besiktas this season before joining the Toffees – including four goals and two assists in the Champions League.
