Aston Villa signing Josh King would be seriously underwhelming – TBR View

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Aston Villa will have to continue on in the market this summer as they have now missed out on the signing of Callum Wilson, who joined Newcastle.

The Villans put up plenty of cash for the Bournemouth star but he ultimately opted for St James’ Park, leaving Dean Smith to reassess his options in terms of strikers.

Furthermore, it also appears Smith is set to miss out on signing Brentford striker, Ollie Watkins. The Bees are said to be holding out for closer to £30m, leaving Villa – potentially – out of the running.

Reports today, though, have suggested that Smith could move for Wilson’s now-former teammate, Josh King. The Norwegian international is said to be another who is on his way out of Bournemouth following their relegation.

But after being linked with serial goalscorers in both Wilson and Watkins, surely Villa fans will be slightly underwhelmed should King arrive.

Villa need goals and sadly King isn’t the man for it

Given Villa’s need for a goalscorer who can come in and simply do the business, King is hardly the most prolific of strikers.

He netted just six times last season for Bournemouth and struggled in the main. His record at international level is a little bit better, with the striker having notched 17 times in just under 50 appearances for Norway.

In fairness to him as well, he does have nearly 50 Premier League goals to his name, too. However, his form has dipped in the last 12 months and given Villa were in for Watkins – who scored 26, and Wilson, who has been recognised by England, the capture of King seems a bit of an underwhelming one.

Of course, it may just be that King needs a change of scenery. A couple of niggles plus a struggling Bournemouth team in general could have impact him on a personal level. Indeed, Wilson only bagged eight last season for the Cherries.

But you get the impression Villa are now working down the list, rather than getting who they want. And that, can always be a worry for supporters.