Josh King: Carlo Ancelotti pleased with ‘complete’ Everton squad after finally landing Bournemouth forward

Norway international was a Toffees target last summer and joined the club on Monday

Josh King (right) in action against Everton, his new club (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Carlo Ancelotti has said his Everton squad is “quite complete” after the club secured a deadline-day deal for Bournemouth forward Josh King but insists Champions League qualification is likely beyond his side this season.

Norway international King, whose contract at Bournemouth was set to expire at the end of the campaign, has signed for the Toffees until the end of the season for a nominal fee, and he is a player whom Ancelotti was targeting last summer.

When it became clear that a deal could be struck, Everton saw off competition from Fulham for the signature of King, who will add pace to the Toffees’ forward line.

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“We let Cenk Tosun go to Turkey, we let Anthony [Gordon] go to have experience and improve his knowledge at Preston and we needed a provider for the position up front,” said Ancelotti, who will be without goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, out with a rib injury, for this week’s Premier League trip to Leeds.

“I think Josh King is a really good profile for us. We were looking at him in the summer and we had a possibility to have him.

“I think with his quality he will improve our squad as he can cover all the positions up front and has experience in the Premier League. I am happy to have him in the squad.

“The squad is quite complete in this moment. I am satisfied with the squad we have at this moment.”

King has not scored in the league since coincidentally netting against Everton on the final day of last season when Bournemouth were relegated.

His three goals this campaign have all come in the FA Cup, but that does not concern Ancelotti.

“We didn’t sign him to have more goals. We signed him to use his quality – he is a powerful, fast player – for this reason, not to score more goals,” the Italian said.

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“We signed him to have more options in front so with him we have more options. I’m not talking about goals. Of course we need goals but we have players who can score goals.”

King’s arrival may have come too late, however, to help achieve Ancelotti’s dream of qualifying for the Champions League. A week ago the coach said matches against Leicester and Newcastle would show whether those ambitions were realistic but just one point from both – including a morale-destroying home defeat by the out-of-form Magpies – appears to have scuppered their chances.

“Now it is beyond Everton, it still remains a dream for us,” he said. “I think after the game against Leicester gave us an answer, the game against Newcastle gave us another answer. To fight for fourth position, we have to improve.

“The position in the table [eighth] is not bad. We want to be there until the end of the season, to fight for a position in Europe. Without spirit we cannot fight for the position in Europe.”

PA