Joshua King has had a difficult last 18 months or so since leaving Bournemouth for Everton, and was relegated from the Premier League with Watford last term.

The 30-year-old chipped in with five goals and three assists for the Hornets in a very difficult campaign under Xisco Munoz, Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson.

The Norway international surpassed 200 appearances in the English top-flight this season, and that could place him on the radar of clubs in higher places than Watford this summer.

A potential exit for King will be aided by the relegation clause in his contract, that allows him to leave Vicarage Road for free this summer window according to The Athletic.

With Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaila Sarr preparing to leave the club as well, a significant rebuild will be required at the top of the pitch, if the Hornets are to bounce back at the first time of asking.

Cucho Hernandez looks set to stay put and take on the Championship along with Joao Pedro and potentially a returning Adalberto Penaranda.

Watford are in good hands and have shuffled their pack successfully in recent years to handle the step down, but it does feel like the second tier is stronger than when they were last in the division in 2020/21.

The Verdict

There will not be a queue of Premier League clubs trying to sign King, as there may have been in years gone by, but he definitely represents value in the market on a free transfer.

This could possibly be a deal that takes place later in the window, as clubs look to strengthen the depth of their squads in preparation for what is to be a very congested schedule in 2022/23.

The 30-year-old showed his quality in flashes last term in very difficult circumstances and he could be an ideal candidate to replace the experience of Lewis Grabban and Lyle Taylor in the final third, as Nottingham Forest attempt to acclimatise quickly to life in the Premier League.