Josh King celebrates after scoring for Bournemouth (Getty Images)
In an interview with Football Insider (h/t Express), former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson has advised the Lilywhites to secure the signing of Bournemouth forward Josh King. Tottenham are among a number of clubs interested in the Norwegian star and Robinson has backed the club to after him this summer.
King came through the academy of Ramsas in Norway, before joining Valerenga in 2006. In January 2008, the attacker joined the Manchester United youth setup. However, he made just two first-team appearances.
The 28-year-old had loan spells away at Preston North End, Borussia Monchengladbach, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers, before joining the latter permanently in January 2013. King featured 72 times for Blackburn, bagging 8 goals. He signed for Bournemouth in 2015 and has bagged 48 goals and 15 assists in 163 matches so far.
One of the biggest problems for Tottenham during the 2019/20 campaign has been the lack of a quality backup for star striker Harry Kane. The England captain had been in fine form until a hamstring injury sidelined him since the turn of the year. Up until that point, Kane had bagged 17 goals in all competitions.
But having allowed both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen to leave last summer, Spurs did not have any cover for the Englishman. Son Heung-min and Steven Bergwijn can play through the middle, but are not naturals in the position. Hence, bringing in a new centre-forward becomes imperative for the Lilywhites.
Hence, signing King from Bournemouth would be a good move by the club. The 28-year-old’s reputation has been on the rise since he joined the Cherries. While he hasn’t had the most productive of campaigns this time out, managing just four goals, the Norwegian international has been a steady performer for the south coast club over the years.
Last season saw him bag 12 goals, while he had managed 8 and 16 goals in the previous two seasons respectively. In addition, he has been a top performer for the Norwegian national team, netting 17 times in 46 matches.
A proven commodity in the Premier League, King would add valuable depth to the Tottenham attack, with his ability to play anywhere across the frontline.
It is no big secret that Tottenham are in urgent need of a new striker in order to provide cover to star man Harry Kane. And signing Josh King from Bournemouth would address that issue for Jose Mourinho. The 28-year-old has plenty of experience in the Premier League and has proven his ability at this stage for a number of years now. Thus, signing him would be a good move by Spurs.
