Three reasons West Ham must hijack Newcastle’s bid to sign Josh King
According to reports in The Sun on April 21, Newcastle United are interested in bringing £20m-rated Bournemouth striker Josh King to St James’ Park this summer.
The Sun says that Magpies manager Rafa Benitez wants a new number nine for next season after the Tyneside outfit preserved their Premier League status for another season following their 2-1 win against Arsenal earlier this month, which saw them surpass the magic 40-point mark.
With Islam Slimani only on loan from Leicester City and Aleksandar Mitrovic looking likely to move on this summer following his impressive loan spell with Fulham, the Toon look certain to strengthen up top.
Meanwhile, West Ham United are another club that may well be looking to make big changes to their squad this summer – if they retain their top flight status.
The Irons lie six points above the relegation zone with just four matches of the season remaining, but with a tough run of fixtures on paper, David Moyes and his side will ne nervously looking over their shoulders over the next couple of weeks.
After a largely disappointing campaign, the east London outfit may feel an overhaul is needed if they do stay up to ensure they don’t find themselves in a similar situation next term, and King should be a name on their radar.
Here are three reasons West Ham must hijack Newcastle’s bid to sign the 26-year-old…
West Ham sold Ayew during the January transfer window after he failed to impress manager David Moyes and failed to replace him, meaning the east London outfit will be looking for a new attacker in the summer.
The Ghana international left having failed to make the impact that was perhaps expected of him, and King certainly has all of the ingredients to be an upgrade on him.
16 Premier League goals in 36 appearances last term show what he can do at this level and that he has the right mentality, and he could prove to be a brilliant addition for the Irons.
While King has often played as a centre-forward for Bournemouth, the fact that he can also feature in a number of any other attacking positions should also make him an attractive proposition for West Ham.
The Norway international has also played as a winger, attacking midfielder and as a secondary striker for Bournemouth this term, and given the east London outfit already have someone in Marko Arnautovic that is also versatile – the Austrian’s stats against Arsenal perhaps suggest he isn’t at his best in the centre-forward role however – it would allow Moyes to bring an interchangeable and unpredictable look to his attack next season.
West Ham will know that because of the rising prices of signing new players they could be in for an expensive summer as they look to strengthen their squad, and it could be something that the club and their owners may not be able to stretch too.
The east London outfit will want to get good value for money, and they should feel that if they can get a player who has scored 22 Premier League goals since the start of last season for £20m, then it should be something of a no-brainer deal.
Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.