According to talkSPORT, West Ham United have made Josh King their top target before Monday's transfer deadline...
What's the word?
Ian Abrahams, affectionately known as Broadcast Moose on Twitter, told supporters on Friday morning that the AFC Bournemouth forward was atop David Moyes' priorities.
He said:
"My sources tell me despite all the talk about foreign strikers, West Ham still have Josh King as top target and moves are afoot to approach Bournemouth. I'm led to believe reports about his huge wage demands are misguided."
The 27-year-old is thought to be on around £45k-per-week at the Vitality Stadium.
Shades of Di Canio?
While recent links to the likes of Hwang Hee-chan and Patson Daka are hugely exciting and would certainly help bolster potential ambitions of a shock qualification to Europe this season, adding King instead is no mere downgrade.
The 51-time Norway international is vastly experienced in the Premier League having hit at least six goals in five successive top-flight campaigns with his best tally of 16 coming in 2016/17, via Transfermarkt.
But it is his other characteristics that make him an even-more desired addition and you could argue, he's displayed shades of a Hammers great in Paolo Di Canio too.
The Italian sensation was absolutely one of a kind, but was also known for his versatility across the frontline, his technical ability, creativity, eye for goal and dribbling skills.
King covers a lot of these; as seen above, he's been a prolific option in the Premier League and just like Di Canio at Sheffield Wednesday, he's been tried and tested prior to a move to east London.
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In addition to that, only ten other players across the top-flight attempted more dribbles than King (122) last season, as per FBRef. By comparison, Michail Antonio topped the Irons' charts with 107 attempts. If anything, that shows why King would be a decent fit for Moyes.
The Cherries frontman also attempted more carries into the final third of the pitch, averaging 1.66 times per 90, compared to Antonio's 1.02 average, also via FBRef.
What makes King technically-gifted is his relentless energy to press the opposition's backline. Again, only 14 other players across the whole division managed to win possession more times than the Norweigen dynamo (9.4 per 90).
It means his ruthless consistency in front of goal, ball-carrying skills and clinical finishing coupled with his dynamic versatility means West Ham could land the closest thing they've had to Di Canio, ever.
When speaking about King to Match of the Day, former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe dubbed him the "complete package" as he is "outstanding physically, technically and mentally" (via The Football Faithful).
Again, those words are cut from the same cloth as the Hammers legend.
It's thought that King could be available for just £10m before Monday's deadline, according to The Athletic's Wolves reporter Tim Spiers (5th Jan Molineux View), so that would certainly present good value considering Salzburg would want €25m (£22.5m) for Daka.
Getting all the aforementioned attributes for half the price the club sold Sebastian Haller for would be an absolute bargain for Moyes. The Hammers' hierarchy, namely David Sullivan, needs to get this done in the next few days.
AND in other news, Imagine him & Lingard: Why Hammers need to clinch this prolific machine...