Luton Town have been told to sign 32-year-old forward Joshua King, with the Norwegian international currently a free agent after leaving Fenerbahçe at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
King is vastly experienced in English football thanks to a six-year spell at Bournemouth, while he also spent time at Everton and Watford after leaving the Cherries.
The 32-year-old began his career at Manchester United and spent time on loan in the EFL with the likes of Preston, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers, before joining the latter on a permanent basis in 2013, and there’s no question that he’d be a very useful signing in the Championship.
Despite spending some time with the Hatters’ bitter rivals Watford during the 2021/22 season, that hasn’t stopped calls for Luton to sign the Norwegian international as a potential replacement for Cauley Woodrow and Joe Taylor amid transfer interest from Derby County for Woodrow, and a range of clubs for Taylor.
Luton Town told to sign Joshua King this summer
Our Luton Town fan pundit, Finley Cannon, believes that King would be an excellent addition on a free transfer, but is concerned that wage demands could mean that they’re unable to strike a long-term deal to sign him.
Speaking to Football League World, Finley said: “With the recent signing of Liam Walsh, strong links to German midfielder Tom Krauss and Irish defender Mark McGuinness, we’re looking solid in defence and midfield.
“If we were to sign one more player, I wouldn’t be against the addition of Josh King. We’ve been linked with him quite heavily in the past, and he brings experience up front, and provides different options to what we already have.
“He would replace Andros Townsend, who looks like he’s on his way out already, and Cauley Woodrow and Joe Taylor have both been linked with moves away.
“Whilst King would be a good addition, I’m not sure how long we’d be able to sign him for as I’d have thought that he’s on fairly significant wages compared to some of the other players in our squad.
“He is an ageing player but would be an experienced head on matchday and in and around training. I think he’d provide a different option to what we already have.”
Joshua King would score goals for Luton Town
King has an impressive strike rate at Premier League level, having scored 53 goals in 204 top-flight appearances, so there’s no doubt that he’d be able to find the back of the net should Luton Town sign him.
The 32-year-old’s strikerate in the Championship is actually quite poor, having scored just six times in 100 appearances, but it must be noted that the vast majority of thaose appearances came when King was a youngster.
| Josh King’s career by league – Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| League | P | G | A |
| Premier League | 204 | 53 | 17 |
| Championship | 100 | 6 | 10 |
| Turkish Süper Lig | 32 | 6 | 3 |
| Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 0 |
King had a difficult 2023/24 season in Turkey and started just two league games for Fenerbahçe, but he still managed five goals in all competitions, and he’ll be looking forward to a fresh start this summer.
The Norwegian international would be a huge asset at Championship level for the majority of sides in the division, but it will likely come down to wages. According to Capology, King was earning just shy of £70,000 a week at Fenerbahçe last season (£68,708) and that would need to come down significantly for Luton to sign him.
The Hatters’ highest earner this season is reported to be Marvelous Nakamba on £30,000 a week, which shows that King’s current wage is out of Luton’s price-range, and King may favour staying in Turkey or a move to the Middle East, where he is guaranteed big wages.
King would clearly be a good addition for the Hatters, but it will all come down to money should they wish to pursue a deal for him.
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