Can 'impact sub' Unal challenge Evanilson?

Bournemouth now occupy a European place following their home draw with West Ham on Monday - and another late goal.

This time it was courtesy of a screamer from substitute Enes Unal, who has now scored back-to-back goals from the bench. It feels like it is time to discuss the Cherries' Turkish frontman and whether he can be more than just an impact sub.

Signed from Getafe with a decent goals record, the expectations were high, but he has had to settle for a constant seat on Bournemouth's bench.

An injury in the summer cost Unal his place in the Turkey squad for the Euros and this in turn meant he was not available for any of pre-season, so he is understandably behind in terms of match sharpness and general fitness levels.

Bournemouth also decided they had to invest big in a striker following Dom Solanke's departure, opting for Porto's frontman Evanilson. The Brazilian has been a bright spark and it feels as if he has the spot nailed over Unal, but with the latter starting to impact games more regularly of late, maybe he can start to push for that striker spot.

The Cherries are in fine form and are in the top five for xG in the Premier League. Glaringly, though, they are in the bottom five for shot conversion, so maybe Unal is providing some evidence that he can help address the issue of hitting the back of the net.

It remains to be seen if Unal has enough to push Evanilson and could find his way to be a regular starter for the club. But one thing is for sure: he is most certainly on free-kicks for the foreseeable!

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