Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall was coy over Josh King‘s future as the January transfer window approaches as West Ham remain interested in the forward.
The Hammers were linked with King all summer and are widely expected to go back in for the pacey attacker when the transfer window opens in the coming weeks as David Moyes looks to bolster his striking options.
Speaking to the Bournemouth Daily Echo, Tindall hailed the return of the Norwegian to his side after an absence with both illness and injury before touching on the frosty subject of the 28-year-old’s future.
The Cherries manager said: “Listen, Josh is a very good professional. Whilst he’s at this football club, when called upon he will go and give his best and deliver the best performance he can.”
King was seemingly unsettled during the summer as he looked to make an immediate comeback to the Premier League following Bournemouth’s relegation from the top flight.
The 2020/21 season is unlikely to have done much to change the Norway international’s mind as, despite the Cherries’ lofty league position, King has struggled to make an impact at the Vitality Stadium.
With 48 Premier League goals including a peak tally of 16 in the 2016/17 campaign, King is a proven top-flight performer who is valued at £11.7m by Transfermarkt.
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This prospective deal could to dominate much of the upcoming transfer window from a West Ham perspective.
With the striker issuing what was essentially a come-and-get-me plea in the summer and Moyes’ desperate need for additional strikers with Michail Antonio beset by injury problems, a move for King looks inevitable.
Tindall’s words would hardly inspire Bournemouth fans that King is there for the long-term – instead, his use of ‘whilst he’s at the football club’ would suggest the writing may already be on the wall with regards to the Norwegian’s south coast future.
