Everton must avoid Josh King deal or risk severe wage inflation [Opinion]

With Joshua King reportedly eyeing up a wage packet of £120,000 per week, it is for the best that Everton have supposedly cooled their interest in the Cherries centre-forward.

The ex-Manchester United prospect is providing a predictable conundrum for any suitors – and Everton should not cave in. The Bournemouth man, who has just six months remaining on his current deal, can sign a pre-contract agreement with a non-English club from this month onwards and will otherwise be a free agent in the summer.

Unsurprisingly, transfer reports have indicated that King’s agent looks set to leverage this situation in order to secure exorbitantly high wages for an ageing striker.

The Toffees have previously been linked with a swap deal involving Jonjoe Kenny heading to the south coast side in exchange for King, but it looks as though any deal from Everton for the Norwegian will squeeze down transfer fee costs.

READ EVERTON VERDICT

From whichever angle it is viewed, King would likely come with a below-market price tag and could provide a real headache for interested parties. At 29, he is arguably in his prime years now and will only diminish with age.

With the same report claiming that he would only ever be a rotational squad player, the wages being demanded are ridiculous.

It is no secret that Everton need a reliable backup striker amid the recent injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Toffees’ recent 2-1 win over Wolves saw Gylfi Sigurdsson deployed as a striker, but with minimal impact.

Everton need reliable cover at centre-forward, but the wages being demanded by King represent a significant outlay and risk for someone who comes with no guarantees of ever leapfrogging Calvert-Lewin in the pecking order.

With the likes of Yannick Bolasie and other peripheral figures bedevilling the Merseysiders’ accounts, Everton must avoid King and further inflation to their wage bill with risky squad options.

King could indeed offer something given his prolific Premier League record, but Everton must be careful what they wish for.