In the culminating stages of the winter transfer window, Everton managed to snap Norway international striker Joshua King on loan from AFC Bournemouth. The 29 year old was a subject of transfer battle between two clubs – Everton and Fulham. The Toffees won the King tug of war which was a big boost to the attacking department as they had sent Cenk Tosun and Anthony Gordon on loan for the remainder of the season.
Everton under Carlo Ancelotti are going through a revolution. The slow burn uprising is now catching flames faster than gasoline. A potential inhibitor was in the path in the form of lack of depth in the striking department which has now been neutralized with the arrival of King. The Norwegian is a man with many degrees.
Capable of playing anywhere across the frontline, the Everton No.11 solves multiple problems in one go. His idea of choosing Everton over Fulham was very clear; he wanted to challenge himself and take the more challenging option to push his limits.
"’I’m not going for the safest option when I sign a six-month contract with Everton. Everything in the world is not about money either. I’m not guaranteed a starting place, I’m not guaranteed a contract further.All the guarantees I can get from Everton are based on what I do on the pitch over the next few months. So, I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself, but at the same time I have the confidence to have the belief that this is going to be able to happen. Either I get a new contract at Everton or I go somewhere else this summer. (via Sport Witness)"
Joshua King has had very little time to impress Everton
The forward has had very limited opportunities to showcase his abilities so far. Apart from the cameos against Manchester United, Manchester City and Leeds United, King featured for 34 odd minutes against Fulham. Despite Everton crumbling to a shocking 2-0 defeat, King garnered some praises from Ancelotti. The 29 year old came on as a substitute in the second half and impressed with his direct running and pacey runs.
He’s yet to start a game for the Toffees but getting acclimatized to the new system and surroundings is necessary and there’s no doubt that he’ll get his chance soon. King has limited time to win the confidence of Everton coaching staff and hierarchy, enough to convince them to hand him a permanent deal in the summer.
Joshua King’s future is dependent on Kean and Tosun
Apart from King’s form and his abilities, the summer transfer plan regarding two strikers on the Everton books will also be detrimental to King’s future. Strikers Tosun and Moise Kean are on loan at Besiktas and PSG respectively.
The Turk joined Kara Kartallar in January in order to get regular playing time before the Euros this summer. Kean left Goodison last summer and has exploded since moving to the French capital.
A report from Turkish media outlet Milliyet stated that the Turkish club is exploring the options to bring Tosun permanently to the club. PSG’s admiration for Kean has known no bounds. Reports have already stated that the Paris club are very much interested in redeeming the 20 year old on permanent basis next summer. Juventus are also not behind as Bianconeri also dream of a reunion with their academy product.
Everton were earlier reluctant to sell the Italian forward but now could prepare for a major windfall thanks to his blistering exploits at Parc des Princes. If Kean does decide to give himself another shot at Everton, King’s future could well be in jeopardy. The Toffees will prefer parting ways with Tosun but in the case of Kean, Ancelotti has always counted on him being part of a long term project.
Should a double departure take place, Everton may be inclined to offer King a longer deal if he does enough to win their confidence but a return of Kean will make the equation complicated. The Norwegian has three months to provide a strong case for himself and make the club believe that he can be impactful for the club in the future.