Update On Aston Villa’s Pursuit Of This Bournemouth Striker: Should Smith Make A Move In January?

In a recent tweet, renowned journalist Alan Nixon provided an update on Aston Villa‘s pursuit of Bournemouth striker Joshua King by revealing that the striker’s value will drop when the transfer window reopens in January. The West Midlands club were linked with the Norwegian marksman last month, but a move failed to materialise before the domestic transfer deadline.

Lad changed agent in window. And everybody wanted too much money. Value will drop in January. But will there be a rush? https://t.co/zNV9dxN5PJ

— Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko) October 18, 2020

King’s Recent Frustrations At The Vitality Stadium

In an interview recently (via The Birmingham Mail), the Cherries speedster expressed his desire to make a move away from the Vitality Stadium in January which will be a big boost for the Villans if they are still interested in acquiring his services this winter.

The Oslo-born attacker has hardly featured for his current employers this season after being denied a chance to seal a move to another domestic club during the summer transfer period. The Norwegian goal-getter had a difficult 12 months at the south coast of England as he struggled to find consistency as far as his overall productivity was concerned in front of the opposition goal.

King made 27 appearances for the Cherries last season, netting six goals and providing four assists in multiple competitions. Even though Bournemouth got relegated, yet no one can complain about the Norwegian attacker’s influence as part of their attack as evident from his average of 1.0 shots, 1.2 key passes and 2.0 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season. The 28-year-old was a bit untidy with his ball-distribution after making only 72.3% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).

What Are The Norwegian Forward’s Best Attributes?

King has what it takes to be a goal-scoring forward for his team when he is playing with confidence on the field. He proved that in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign when he scored 12 goals in 38 matches. However, the goals have dried up from his game recently, which is a concern for any of his potential suitors including the Villans.

The 51-time Norwegian international boasts blistering pace to get past the opposition defenders but needs to be more productive if he wants to stay relevant at the highest level. He is more than capable of serving as a decent partner to Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins up top.

Should The Villans Launch A Move For King In January?

Dean Smith should consider launching a cut-price move for King who has got less than a year remaining in his Bournemouth contract which means that the Cherries would have to cash in on him this winter or else risk losing him for free at the end of this campaign.

At 28, King is currently at the peak stage of his football career, so Smith would fancy his chances of getting the best out of him if he can successfully lure him to Villa Park during the January transfer window. He will add more pace and goals to the Villans frontline which might be enough for them to secure a top-half finish in the league table.