Of all the athlete cliches, one of the most consistently unbelievable is the old “I don’t read/know what they’re writing/saying about me.” Even the individual athlete his or herself does not seek out the news, it’s unavoidable because friends, family members and hangers-on will usually bring a lot of material to directly to their attention.
On top of all that, article links are often plugged on social media with the official account of the athlete “tagged.”
It’s another way to bring stories to their attention. That’s why these remarks from Bournemouth striker Joshua King are so refreshing. Instead of being corporate and giving PR processed responses, King is straight-shooting on the Tottenham Hotspur transfer narrative.
Joshua King is verifying what all sports journalists know about these situations, via a very candid and entertaining interview with the Daily Echo.
“I was focusing on the season and finishing it strongly, but I would be a liar if I said I hadn’t noticed it,” King said when asked if he was aware of the narratives linking him to the north London club.
“It was in most papers in England and you have got people tagging you and sending you links here and there. I was intrigued even being mentioned in the same sentence as Spurs, a big team who play in the Champions League.”
“It is the summer holiday now and I’ve learned so much from the gaffer here.”
“You never know in football but, hopefully, I will be here next year and I’m looking forward to working with the gaffer because he’s been brilliant with me since the day I set foot on the training ground.”
King signed a four-year contract extension last summer, but the Mirror claims Spurs are keen on a £15 million move for the former Manchester United youth system player.
The Cherries signed him from Blackburn for just £1 million two summers ago, and what a tremendous deal that truly was, as King had his finest season yet, scoring 16 goals. He was a big part of contributing to Bournemouth’s pleasantly surprising season, as the Cherries finished ninth.
It’s very impressive for a team that has spent most of its existence in the third tier, and was only promoted to the top flight in 2015-16; the first time in club history.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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