The club-record signing of Ollie Watkins has given Aston Villa a huge boost but Dean Smith wants to add more quality to his attack this summer and is still contemplating a move for Bournemouth star Joshua King.
A report from The Athletic claims that Villa have retained their interest in King, having failed to land him with a £16m bid earlier this week.
Old Trafford still remains King’s preferred destination but do you think he will be a good fit for the Villains?
Joshua King’s Premier League Career
The 28-year-old moved to England with Manchester United in 2009 but got just five minutes of Champions League action before he joined Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on an initial loan in 2012.
He spent just two seasons at Ewood Park before he was picked up by Bournemouth who offered him his first Premier League action.
Since his debut with the Cherries, King has registered 48 goals and 15 assists in 161 top-flight appearances in England and was a crucial reason for Bournemouth’s prolonged stay in the Premier League.
He registered six goals and four assists in 24 league games last season as well, playing in a struggling side and will surely be a huge asset for Aston Villa.
What Will He Bring To Villa Park?
A quick and smart striker with excellent close control, King is usually direct in his approach to goal scoring. He is a hard man to catch or dispossess in full flow while his finishing makes him that much more dangerous in the final third.
He is a composed finisher, who can also score headers but King is at his best in a fluid team where he can target the weakest link in the opponent’s backline. And with an in-form Jack Grealish behind him at Villa Park, King could be a real match-winner for the club next season.
Joshua King now has 48 caps for the Norway national side and is a regular in the first team for club and country. But at Villa Park, he will have plenty of competition for his role.
The Villains already had Wesley and Mbwana Samatta as strikers in their ranks but both players were far from impressive, forcing Dean Smith to sign Ollie Watkins this summer.
King, who can also play on the wing, will not only push the likes of Watkins, Wesley and Samatta for a place in the first team but will also allow the manager to try out different systems against different teams.
Though Villa might be forced to sell one of the four strikers from the first team, it leaves the manager in a position where he can choose who fits his style the best this summer, making this a good deal for all involved.
