The Athletic’s West Ham United correspondent Roshane Thomas has made a worrying transfer claim regarding Bournemouth’s Joshua King.
During the summer transfer window, the Hammers reportedly made an offer to sign the forward, however, the bid was rejected by the Cherries (per Sky Sports).
Supposedly, the Irons offered £13m to seal his arrival but Bournemouth were after a fee in the region of £18m.
While the Hammers ended up without reward for their efforts, West Ham insider @ExWHUemployee has claimed that David Moyes’ side could return for King in January.
In the latest episode of The Athletic’s U Irons podcast, Thomas discussed the transfer link with the Norwegian forward and made a worrying claim about his ability.
He said: “Well, that’s the name that refuses to go away, but I had a look at Josh King’s record and he hasn’t even scored in the Championship this season.
“I mean, he’s a good player, but if we’re expecting him to [fulfil] the football cliche of ‘hitting the ground running’, then I doubt it judging by his record.
“He scored six goals in the Premier League last season, so, we could perhaps do with someone younger and someone a bit more prolific.”
TIF Thoughts on what Roshane Thomas had to say about Joshua King…
As can be seen in what the reporter had to say, he believes that the 28-year-old Norwegian may not be all that much of a “prolific” signing for the Hammers.
Should West Ham sign Joshua King in January?
Yes, he's a good player
No, he's not good enough
However, with King having played both up front and on the left-wing this season (per Transfermarkt), he could plug two gaps in the Hammers’ first-team squad.
With only one natural left-winger and two out-and-out strikers in the squad, it is clear that Moyes is in need of some depth in those positions.
Furthermore, with King’s contract expiring in June 2021 and a market value of £9.9m, it seems likely that West Ham could get a better deal than the £18m the Cherries were after earlier this year.
So, perhaps as a squad player that provides the Irons with depth in attack, King may still be a good signing for the club.