Bournemouth's King is a wanted man

As many have said already, I trust Carlo to get this right. If we've let Kean go, albeit he wasn't much to lose, I'm guessing Carlo either has at least two potential replacements lined up just in case one falls over, or he trusts Simms or perhaps a tweak to the line-up allowing Richarlison to move up top if Dom is injured.

We also have other options but it will mean trusting Under-23s to step up if 2 are injured which he'll be reluctant to do. We haven't even talked about the possibility of a Covid-19 infection happening in our camp which, with travel of players this week has to be more of a possibility than in the first four weeks of the season to date.

Seems like madness to proceed with national team games. Liverpool have the virus in the camp. Only a matter of time before there are cases at other clubs

Getting back to the original subject, it seems Everton aren't interested in King.

It's been reported that the club would sign a striker if one "came up" but didn't see it as a necessity because of the flexibility, position-wise, of the first-team squad, Cenk Tosun (when he's fit) and possible cover from the U23s, until the January transfer window.

As for King, I like him and thought he stood out when we last played them. He has pace and great feet and can play through the middle or out wide. He would be a good impact sub or replacement for either of our talismen.

If Bolasie goes as well, then I think we need a right-midfielder instead. King on loan would be great but why would Bournemouth do that? I wouldn't be surprised if our business is done apart from a few more outgoings.

We should go for Sarr at Watford. I'm not hugely concerned about a striker as Richarlison can play centrally if needed, and we have Tosun to come back.

Not sure there's much money left in the coffers. Or space left for FFP?

I'd love Sarr but he's gonna cost £40m plus and I'm not sure we even want to spend £10m on Josh King.

I suspect there may be no more until we can shift Bolasie, Besic etc.

Maybe a loan? Or dare I say it someone like Danny Welbeck on a pay when you play contract?

Steve #5 I agree, that could be us done now. I don't think we will get involved in a panic-driven auction for a back-up player.

If someone comes in, I expect it will be a loan deal for the next 9 months only. We could be possibly looking at signing Milik on a free, with a January precontact agreement, depending on his wage demands.

I like your right midfielder call. A player(s) plus cash deal for Buendia would add something. It would give back-up to James Rodriguez and allow us to use James intelligently and help keep him at 100%.

I can't see it happening though.

Tony. Ancelotti seemingly said no to Milik. He wants/wanted a counter attacking type forward which may explain why we haven't yet signed another forward.

Unless they have a Bosman type signing in mind, and there aren't too many of them around, Josh King would be a good squad option, especially as we are a man down up front with Kean going to PSG.

I know it's very early days, yet but this does have a Leicester déjà vu feel about it and as it stands if we can keep our noses in front, even if they are scrappy 1-0 wins no-one can catch us.

Furthermore, from what I have seen thus far, again early days, but I think there are a few teams who can do us favours along the way, by taking points off possible rivals.

I think it could be a risky strategy to continue with what we have, as good as it is, like many have said the inevitable injury, in more than one position, could weaken us, especially up front.

Derek #10, if Villa win their match in hand then they'll overtake us on goal difference. Who would have thought that when we meet it could be a top of the table 6 pointer?!

Steve @ 5.

Bolasie has no impact on current squad numbers. He hasn't kicked a ball in anger for the club in 3 years. He's just a number on a spreadsheet now which is why he needs to be shipped out.

Ditto Besic.

Dennis @11, good point there mate, I had totally forgotten, and therefore discounted forgotten about Villa having a game in hand. but without trying to sound condescending toward Villa, can they maintain their excellent and unpredicted start?

Aye, Derek - but people will be asking the same of Everton too. It's going to be entertaining finding out!

For £10M, get him in.

Ferguson at the Man Utd always argued "you can't have too many strikers."

Some of the most successful times up the old East Lancs Road were when they had a excess of strikers. One or two injuries and we might struggle in that department.

I suspect there is a plan: they feel one of the youngsters already at the club is almost ready to step up; there is a view that Tosun could be back; or they have a transfer target already in the bag.

Reading Richarlison's comments between the lines, he is off at the end of this season if we don't get Champions League football.

For £10m, get him in. I wouldn't go anywhere near Wellbeck - that would be back to the days of getting Gazza and Ginola. Way past their best and using us as one last payday.

Steve @5, I hear that Bournemouth are keen to reduce their wage bill so King might be released despite him surely being fairly critical to their attempt to bounce back, especially after Fraser and Wilson going.

I think if we had any interest in King we would have already made an offer, the fact that the window is still open to sign players from the EFL will only maybe come into play if Premier clubs have some long term forward injuries.

Also, it's worth bearing in mind that the next window is only about 12 weeks away which means seeing we have no European games means we will only play about 12 games till the next window. So I guess Carlo and Brands will wait till then and see if we need any additions.

I would hope that we can still shift some of the surplus-to-requirements players to EFL clubs before the window closes.

£10 mil is money badly spent for a player that will become dead weight within a year.

Calvert-Lewin doesn't seem to be getting injured or hit a bad run anytime soon, and don't forget Kean is still an Everton player (like Tosun).

So, all in all, we should stick to what we have, give Tosun a few chances as cover, and we will be fine without another Sandro or Bolasie, in the form of King or Deeney.

Brian, what if we can only sign him once we have shut of Besic and Bolasie? Say without shifting them there is no room on the wage bill. We have to then hold fire.

I expect a flurry of activity on the deadline day again. Sarr and King will move then. I hope it is us who land King. I think it would be reckless of us to go to January without a replacement for Moise Kean.

Andrew, yes, I am aware of that. I meant only that the squad may then have been trimmed sufficiently enough to get another in that's all. As I've said a few times, we technically play with one out and out striker (Richarlison comes in from left just behind).

If Calvert-Lewin is injured then Richarlison would step in leaving us with a wide man issue. I'd personally take the risk and get in a right-midfielder instead of a striker, Tosun is coming back after all.

The issue with signing King would be trying to get rid of him again in the summer or the season after. For someone who, hopefully, won't have to play too mucg, I'd much rather we pick up Welbeck on a pay as you play deal. Keep him fit until we actually need him. Short term contract. Done at the end of the season. No big wages, no long contracts we can't get out of.

King reminds me of Marcus Bent.

Steve, I think we have ample cover for Richarlison, with Iwobi, Bernard, Gordon and even Bolasie if needs be. The issue for me is that if you go with Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison in the first XI and then Calvert-Lewin runs himself into the ground, you can't turn to the bench for fresh legs as Richarliosn is already on the pitch. So, do you keep Richarlison on the bench just for that reason, and so drastically reduce the quality of the first XI.

I concede that when Cenk Tosun comes back, and he has made a full recovery, we will have this option from the bench. The problem for me though, is there's no guarantee he will make a full recovery and I doubt we will see him ready for first-team action this side of Christmas.

Josh King is not a target man. He played off Callum Wilson. But he can play as a lone striker. He is also adept as a wide forward. This means he can be the perfect sub from the bench as he is able to slot in anywhere in the front 3 of a 4-3-3. I don't think he is top 4 quality. But for £10M and on relatively low wages with Bournemouth, I think we need to bring him in.

If the staggered payments is true and if Everton really want him then we will sign him as you cant get a better financial deal than that.

He will not to be going anywhere else if we are interested and I am sure he would walk from Bournemouth to Everton to sign for us. We will of course find out if we have any interest in the next week.

Personally I think he would be an excellent addition.

If fit then I'd back Welbeck to do a reasonable job as cover for the front 3 positions. His wages would be small and fitness-dependent so it would be a low risk move. By most accounts he is a good guy and consumate professional. On other end of the likeabilty scale Daniel Sturridge is also a free agent! Ex wonderkid Alexander Pato is also available. And Mandzukic.

Looks like he's in talks with West Ham, but I hope we snap him up. For £10M he'd be a steal.

He's a good, versatile striker IMO. Very physical, fast, good technically and decent in the air. Much more similar to Calvert-Lewin than Marcus Bent I think. And, he's scored 50 in 168 matches for Bournemouth, all of but two of those goals in the Premier League. That's not at all bad.

He's also got 17 goals in 48 matches for Norway, which is even more impressive considering how shit Norway has been for a good while now.

Marcus Bent.. that's outrageous, funny but a massive insult to King. I think he's better than Calvert-Lewin, he's certainly more skillful with the ball.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a massive Calvert-Lewin fan but he's still learning and improving.

King is ready-made replacement for Richarlison or Calvert-Lewin and can play on the right.

For £10M and sensible wages, it's a no-brainer.

Mario Mandzukic is available on a free transfer but, at 34 years of age, surely a short-term contract for the rest of the season could be beneficial for both parties?

Although he would not improve our first XI, he would provide a good upgrade to the cover we currently have, specifically for both Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin. None of our current options offer as good as solution to these positions, unless we think Gordon is A grade, which means his cover for Richie means Richarlison can cover for Calvert-Lewin.

If not, King would be ideal. He's a decent player, as good as Wilson in my view, but more flexible and given what the latter fetched, £10m is almost a steal. Maybe the idea is to play it quietly and see how desperate Bournemouth get.

We can't count on Tosun returning at 100% any time soon and even if he did, I don't rate his 100% much. Granted it's a bit of an insurance policy but now that Kean has gone, it's one we need and in the here and now, I'd regard King as a decent upgrade on Kean anyway, even if the ceiling for the latter is conceivably higher.

People are saying that Bournemouth will not like a loan, but what if the terms of the loan were that he went back if they were promoted but stayed with us if they didn't. They would get him off their wage bill and a loan fee.

Might just appeal, that's if we want him.

If Carlo thinks Gordon or even Bolasie can step up fair enough. I certainly wanted to see more of them playing the league cup games to judge.

Tosun would require a change of style and formation to make him useful. His lack of pace, energy and all round game doesn't fit, he's a good finisher, that's it.

Simms is not ready.

I'm all in favour of loan to buy, but it has to be agreeable by all. If King left Bournemouth I don't think either would want a quick return. He's outgrown them and I'm guessing both want different paths.

He'd improve us but he would improve most teams. I'm surprised other top 4 teams haven't made a move.

Dennis #11, yes, and both teams wearing "Cazoo" on their chests.

Whoever is in charge of Cazoo's football marketing program has got to be the most popular employee in the company right now. Definitely on the CEO track.

Justin, I think Carlo made it pretty clear that he does not think Bolasie can step up. Had Bernard left, he might have had little choice though, and that's perhaps why he didn't leave.

I'd purchase King, rather than loan him. He's 28 so we could get a couple of years out of him before selling him. It allows us to then really see how good Calvert-Lewin can become.

If he falls short, once this cycle of form comes to an end, then we can look to recruit a world class striker (assuming we are still flying high), if Calvert-Lewin kicks on even further, then we can see where 19-year-old Ellis Simms is up to, or even 18-year-old Lewis Dobbin. The latter would be 20 years of age, and I fully expect him to have smashed (as opposed to have broken) through into the first team by then.

Spot on Steve #21. He seems a good option in the present circumstances.

Mike #35 Perhaps they didn't really know much about football apart from the "big" names that they knew they couldn't afford.

Maybe with a bit of research, they discovered that the most played fixture in the top flight is between Aston Villa & Everton, so they figured they were 2 good clubs to sponsor.

Unless they were just the two clubs that happened to be looking for a new sponsor at the right time.

Sam 26,

"His wages would be small." It was reported that Watford let him go on a free because they couldn't afford his £100k a week wages after being relegated. If we got him on some kind of month to month deal at £30k a week, then maybe but his injury record is terrible for anything longer than six months or close to six figures.

Anyone know why his club wants him off the wage bill? And why no-one bought him this week? I ask as I don't know anything about him.

I can't understand why we haven't already signed King.

As has been said, he doesn't improve our first team. But he does improve the options we have from the bench and the depth of the squad.

Having said that, the same applies to Danny Welbeck. When fit, he has been a good player for England as well as at club level. Either of these would give us back up on a short term basis with very little need for any large output or long contract. If they leave in May or stay on this time, it will be on our terms.

We already have the options that give us width in Bernard and Gordon. Nkounkou is also a possibility in that role. I believe that Besic and Bolasie will be gone by Friday, unless either or both have been on the Gareth Bale 'How to be a Footballer' course. But, if we don't sign anyone, I won't be panicking. I've seen enough already to believe we will be okay with what we have.

I'm not opposed to signing King, I just think we will ply for a wider player. Sarr would be the dream!

King is solid enough and gives us depth. Welbeck is a very good footballer. Obviously injuries are a problem but he has talent. Either would be good but I'm not desperate for another signing.

I was thinking about the position Dries Mertens plays for Napoli. We nearly signed him under Moyes as a promising midfielder. He's been moved into a striker role and flourished – because a team was set up to use his movement and technical skills.

Gordon could play that sort of role, false 9-ish, I expect. And with clever players like James, Sigurdsson and Bernard around, there would goals. So I expect we'll be okay.

Dennis #36, certainly it had to be luck -- why would a marketing exec at a used-car portal know anything about football? -- but if I were the guy who made these two deals, I'd be strutting into the company cafeteria doing Richarlison's pigeon dance. And hitting up the boss for a raise.

To maintain strength in depth, I think King is a good option.

Remember what Wayne Clarke done for Everton. It's better to prepare and plan for injuries and, whilst we have some options within the current squad, for a reasonable fee, it would make good sense to get Josh King.

But I've a hunch a fully fit Tosun could be a useful impact player as he'd be getting better service in the box from the new midfield.

Hopefully no injuries for players in the internationals and then for the derby. Let's see which officials are allocated.

Steve @40,

King occasionally plays wide for Norway. Playing wide today to make room for Haaland and Soerloth up front. Unfortunately without much luck.

At £10M, grab him now! No hesitation.

Dangerous player, made more dangerous with the right group of players.

Richarlison is wasted up top. And not that effective. He had a good game in that position, once, and people still see him as a striker.

If Ancelotti really saw Simms as back-up, then I would have thought we would have seen him in the pitch in the early Carabao games.

For me, it all adds up to:

1. We need to bring in a back-up striker.

2. Carlo wants to bring in a back-up striker.

Marcus Bent.

With all that has happened since it's easy to forget, but David Moyes took Everton in to the champions League qualifying round with Marcus Bent as a main Striker.

I like King, always plays well against us. But will he ever play?

I don't think Carlo would have let Kean go without having the intention of getting someone in on loan to cover. Josh King fits the bill, but it may come down to whether he wants to be a back-up player for us or a starter for a mid/lower club. Also, I think we would prefer a loan and that will not suit the club or the player. But the spread out fee or a player plus cash deal could be good business if his wage demands are realistic.

It could be that we will have make do and hope for the best for 2/3 months, then get someone in on a 6-month loan in January when there will be more options.

What does anyone think of Iwobi playing through the centre in Calvert-Lewin's role as an emergency, stop gap back up if needed. Or to take some strain off Calvert-Lewin and be brought on for the last 20-30 mins if we are cruising? He a strong lad, we've paid big money for him, he's got some talent and needs to earn his corn somehow. If he could do a back-up job there he could save the club a good few million.

I'm not talking permanently but if needed and until January this could be some sort of solution.

I thought Tosun would have been back up and maybe even prospered under better play in the final third. But Steve Ferns says Tosun may not be fit this side of Xmas, an insight which is normally accurate.

Whilst King may be a candidate, he is not under the radar sufficiently for me for the involvement of Ancelotti and Brands. I expect more a Godfrey-style transfer or loan. I think they have a few candidates in mind, but we won't know anything till the last minute.

Maybe Simms or an Under-23 backup is the preferred option.

Steve
Think about it.

He was once the best playmaker in the league. He was dubbed the "Liam Brady" of the 21st Century when he played at Arsenal.

At Everton he could be nurtured back to his previous best and serve as a like for like backup to James.

And we could get him for free just like James.

He's not going to be our main central force but he can come in very handy when the injury bug starts to hit us.

What do you say?

King looks like a sensible, signing to me, especially as we are very short up front, with little cover.

I really can't see what the fuss is about Josh King.

He is not that rapid and hardly prolific and, by comparison, Sigurdsson is a much better goalscorer in a good season.

We must be able to do better.

West Ham are reportedly close to signing Behnrama now for £30m. Good signing for them.

Could clear the path for us to buy King but rumour is that Bournemouth want £15m and he wants 85k p/w. Not sure how much sense it makes at those numbers.

I think he'd definitely bring something but part of me we wants to give more game time to Iwobi, Gordon and Simms.

Pleased some are back on the subject of the post and the subject is football – not politics!!

It looks like King is going somewhere and I really rate him, always a handful against us and I hope we sign him as I think he will be a steal compared with prices quoted in the past.

I cannot see Carlo and Marcel not having a back-up striker as cover. Although I like Tosun, it's a hard ask for him after his injury and who knows if he will be able to withstand the rigours of the Premier League.

I think we definitely need a back up striker to be signed in the next few days, along with another versatile player, could make a big difference between a promising season and a very good one.

Anyone for Sturridge?

Or is it a daft suggestion ??

No not daft Anthony, ludicrous!!!

Anthony (56), Sturridge is like Saha, who we bought from Man.Unt, a very good player, when he plays, maybe a 12 month contract on a pay as you play deal? What do you think? He might have personality and temperament problems by the way.

Jay@52, I don't really understand your point here. The most Gylfi has ever scored in a 'good' season is 14 goals, for us two seasons ago.

Josh King got 12 that season (in less games) and 16 two seasons before that. He's got a fair few more goals than Gylfi over the last 4 years in the PL.

Though I'm not mad on him his goal return is pretty decent for someone who usually plays wide. He'd be a good backup option for us. Though I'd be equally happy to see Gordon get more game time. Not sure who plays upfront though if Richie and DCL are missing?

I think Sturridge would jump at the chance along the lines of how Dave outlines

I recall always worrying when he was on the pitch playing against us

He can certainly strike a ball.

if he can cover the front 3 positions then it is highly likely he will get quite significant game time. James will probably not register more than 25-30 appearances, and it would be surprising if Richi and DCL remain completely injury free. So I reckon we don't just want a player for a rainy day, we want someone who might expect to play most weeks

Kevin@61, we have the likes of Iwobi, Bernard, Gordon, Sigurdsson and maybe even Nkoukou who can and will cover the wings and wide positions. But i'm not sure any of those can cover as striker. I think Gordon maybe played there at times for the U23s but it would be a big ask to expect him to lead the line. Sigurdsson has played as a second striker alot but surely we'd want someone more mobile as the primary striker.

Not by us I hope.

Too late now, but maybe we should have kept Moise Keen.

Pity there wasn't money for Sarr and King, now that would bulk up the squad nicely.

Trying to read between the lines here. The paper rumours seem to have West Ham as the front runner for his signature and it's gone quieter on our part.

Then today, there's a load of paper talk, particularly in the echo, about Ellis Simms and how he has to copy Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin and will learn loads from his promotion to first team training.

Now, I know the “red” Echo is not popular with all here, but they are still the “friendly” local rag with full time journos working just on covering us. If we don't intend to sign King and we really do have faith in Simms, then you'd use the echo with a story like this to get us fans ready for the let down of not signing King.

With the terrible u23 coverage, it's hard for me to see where Ellis is at this season, but we'd all trust in Brands' judgement here, If he does really think Simms can make it and provide backup to DCL this season.

I may be reading far too much into this, it was just the timing of these Simms stories, reporter across multiple platforms and it seems purposeful like we are trying to soften the blow.

Steve, obviously I want us to have the strongest squad possible - but I'd rather go with Simms than King.

King is decent, but we're better than that.

We'd be awarding a 3-year deal to someone who we only really need for about 10 weeks when the Jan window opens.

As much as we're building for now, I don't think we should be signing anyone other than top-class first-teamers or top-class potential.

Robert, I have the same misgivings. No point in signing a player that we would not be considering if we had more time. I still think Brands will be in squad trimming mode, so will be looking to offload another couple of players rather than making any panic buys on high wages and long contracts.
Steve could well be right about Simms being emergency backup, even if it is a temporary fix.

A last-minute signing I think would be very useful would be a player(s) plus cash deal for Buendia. I think he would be excellent cover for James, to relieve him from fatigue and fill in when he has a niggle or needs to recover from injury. Buendia can also cover across the midfield. Can't see it happening though, but I think he would be a more useful squad member and give us more strength in depth than a few of our other fringe players.

Is Joshua King that much better than Cenk Tosun? If he is, it is worth considering, but if not why bother. Surely, if Carlo wanted him, then the deal would have already been done.

King has been at Bournemouth for several years and nobody seems that keen on a transfer. Who else is in the frame now, West Ham etc... says it all!

Carlo Ancelotti said weeks ago that the squad – which at the time had 31 players – was too big, and I think he hoped that we may have moved o Bolasie and Besic. Had he been fit, I think he would also have allowed Tosun to leave, and I wouldn't be surprised if Bernard doesn't move in January.

So I think a move for King is highly unlikely given that the next window opens in 10 weeks, and although the January window has been viewed as not the best time to buy players, by then we will have a clearer picture as to where we are in the league.

So I think Carlo will wait till January before making another purchase.

The thing about King is he can cover all three attacking positions. That makes him particularly attractive for us as James ain't playing every game, and we don't have much cover for either of Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison. So he'd come expecting to start at least 20 games in a top side.

A little bird told me a few weeks before we signed the Magnificent Three that we were hopeful of getting them in, and also that Carlo wanted this chap, so we will have to wait and see. I've got a feeling though that we will try and get him but he may go elsewhere for more guaranteed starts.

Kevin, the Simms I saw last season, with all his flaws, would be best suited to left of the front three.

Now, this is not his position. But he wants space to run into. In the central role, he is unlikely to get that. But cutting in from a wider, and slightly deeper position, like Richarlison does, he is likely to find that space. He can then use his pace and power to do what he does best and find the back of the net.

In a central role, he would be back to goal, and his link up play and his hold up play are the parts of his game that needed the most work. Not seen enough of him in recent months to see if he has developed this.

Simms, does have flaws, but his biggest strength, more so than his pace and strength, is his ability to overcome those flaws and adjust to each step up and keep scoring goals. I have every faith that he will either develop that part of his game to acceptable levels, or that he will find his feet enough that he can keep being prolific in front of goal, even at the highest level.

Steve,

Do you think he's ready to come into this high-pressure situation and take over one of these key slots? If so, great. I had no idea he was such a prospect.

The only way I can see us buying Josh King is if The Prof and the DoF rate him good enough to be at EFC for the next 3 years. Then I think, he would be a decent choice. I think that also applies to the mid-winter break as well.

I don't think we want to lumber ourselves with any more short-term fixes but long-term problems. I mean that the likes of Bolasie, and that Bosnian lad (whose name's just shot right out of my ancient bonce!) who are both taking wages that are basically a drain on the club.

Perhaps we may go in for someone on loan until the end of the season, or if he's good enough, for next season as well.

Even if Tosun comes back fit, I think he will be quite an expensive gamble, as we will need someone who has speed, and unfortunately, Tosun doesn't.

If we don't sign a forward, having let Kean go, that is surely a mistake. Baffling.

Lyndon, you might have to change the title of this one with an un before the wanted.