The Athletic: Everton players baffled by Joshua King snub
Everton players were mystified by Carlo Ancelotti’s refusal to hand Joshua King an extended run in the Everton first-team.
King, 29, joined the Blues from Bournemouth in February on a short-term contract until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
The Norway international was brought in to support Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Cenk Tosun was granted a move to Turkish giants Besiktas, but the 29-year-old failed to make a single start during his 11 appearances and only appeared three times in their last 10 games.
Writing on The Athletic website, Everton reporters Patrick Boyland and Greg O’Keeffe detailed puzzlement behind the scenes at his lack of action.
“Others close to the squad have wondered why Joshua King, signed in winter on a short-term deal, was repeatedly overlooked by Ancelotti as Everton continued to toil in attack,” they wrote.
“Tracked by Everton’s recruitment operation over the last couple of seasons — they tentatively explored the possibility of a move for him last summer only to be deterred by Bournemouth’s prohibitive asking price — King failed to register a single start after arriving at Goodison.
“Bemusingly, The Athletic understands that the Norwegian had impressed some of his teammates during training sessions at Finch Farm.”
Strange
King may not be the superstar we need in attack but he surely deserved more time on the pitch to prove himself.
A tally of 47 Premier League goals in the 2020/21 campaign was at least eight less than any other side in the top 10, with a startling over-reliance on Dominic Calvert-Lewin who was responsible for 16 of them.
Richarlison was a regular alongside the England international but there was a dearth of options behind them.
James Rodriguez made a strong first impression after his signing last summer but he shrunk into the shadows and jetted off to Colombia before our season had even ended.
Alex Iwobi and Bernard were other attackers who failed to make their mark, so it seemed inevitable that King would be handed a start, or at least more minutes than he was given.
But they never came as Ancelotti continued to pack the starting XI with defenders and central midfielders, stunting our creativity and thrust in the final third.
Surely King, with 48 Premier League goals in his career, would have represented a smarter option.
In other Everton news, Kevin Campbell wants Blues to sign this prolific Premier League sensation.
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