London Stadium, London, Britain - January 21, 2023. West Ham United's Danny Ings in action.
Southampton failing to secure the signing of former striker Danny Ings is a ‘travesty’, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
The Lowdown: Secret meeting held
Nathan Jones’ side are rock bottom of the Premier League table after winning just four of their 20 matches this season, with an attacking addition seen as a priority this window.
The Saints were just one of several clubs interested in a move for the 30-year-old forward earlier this month having fallen out of favour at Aston Villa, and reports even claimed that key figures from the club secretly met with the veteran to discuss a potential return.
However, he instead ended up making the initial £12m move to West Ham, meaning that the south coast outfit will have to go back to the drawing board to identify new candidates.
The Latest: Taylor’s reaction
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Taylor reacted to Southampton missing out on Ings and suggested that he would have been able to make a significant impact if he would have gone back to St. Mary’s.
“Southampton need that player, like a Danny Ings, someone who literally does what it says on the tin. I think it’s a travesty, really, [that] they didn’t bring him back to St Mary’s. Even signing him for West Ham, to me, that almost guarantees West Ham safety.”
The Verdict: Blow for Jones
Ings has been dubbed a ‘lethal’ finisher by journalist Chris Sutton, and while he picked up an injury in his Hammers debut, Southampton not being able to convince him to return to the club will have been a huge blow to Jones.
The Nike-sponsored attacker has bags of experience and is proven in the top-flight, having made 87 goal contributions in 189 appearances at this level, not to mention he was averaging 1.5 shots per league game under Unai Emery.
The Saints were reportedly in advanced talks to sign Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson, but with him having now agreed a deal to join Bournemouth, the boss will have to continue his search to find the prolific profile of player he’s desperate for.
Would you have taken Ings back?
Yes
No
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