@ExWHUemployee has been speaking on the latest edition of The West Ham Way podcast about all things West Ham United.
One of the topics that he spent some time on was transfers and, in particular, the situation with Joshua King.
Ex revealed that the Hammers see the Bournemouth man as the second choice to Said Benrahma, who is thought to be closing in on a move to the London Stadium.
The Algerian is supposedly undergoing a medical before he moves to the Hammers for £30m.
However, it is unclear if this move for Benrahma will end the Hammers’ interest in King, though he seems to be the backup at the moment.
It looks as if King is still there as a backup choice if the deal for the Algerian falls through, but considering he is having his medical, barring any last-minute complications, Benrahma should become a new West Ham player.
@ExWHUemployee said: “I think King is £18m, so it’s cheaper than the Benrahma deal – although I think his wages are slightly higher.
“I think King’s [transfer fee] is less because he is older [and] I think his contract might be up sooner as well.
“He, at the moment, is the second choice. I would be surprised if it’s not Benrahma.”
Can you see West Ham signing King?
No, we won't get him
Yes, we will sign him
TIF Thoughts…
King has made 161 Premier League appearances and scored 48 goals, but last season, he was not in the best form as he only scored six league goals for Bournemouth.
Benrahma, on the other hand, has never played in the Premier League and has only made 29 appearances in one of Europe’s top leagues.
Still, in 86 Championship appearances for Brentford, he has scored 27 goals and provided 25 assists.
In January, the Hammers signed Jarrod Bowen, who had an impressive Championship goalscoring record, and in the Premier League, he has done well, having scored four goals and provided four assists in 24 appearances.
So, by going off that, you can see why the Hammers are potentially willing to take Benrahma over King, despite the fact the 28-year-old has more top-flight experience.
However, should the Benrahma deal be completed, it will be interesting to see if West Ham do also try and sign King before the deadline on Friday.