Dean Jones has spoken about Southampton’s need for a striker and whether a return for Danny Ings is possible.
Southampton have a ‘chance’ of signing former player Danny Ings in the January transfer window if he continues to struggle at West Ham.
Southampton’s striker problems are well documented.
Russell Martin’s men have enjoyed a good season so far as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League. However, one issue for the Saints this season has been Adam Armstrong’s reliance on scoring goals.
The south coast are the lowest scorers in the top four, and the ex-Blackburn player is leading the charge, scoring 12 times in the Championship, with Che Adams coming in second with four.
To be honest, there were big aspirations for Ross Stewart to become a significant player for the team, but they signed the Scotland international while he was injured, and he has now acquired a new problem that will keep him out until 2024.
Unfortunately, it appears difficult to rely on Stewart to stay fit, since he missed numerous games for the Black Cats before to his £10 million move.
And, with Adams’ contract expiring in the summer, there’s a potential he’ll be sold in the new year, as it’ll be the last opportunity to earn a fee for the player.
Southampton’s transfer plans for January
As a result, there’s a good chance the Saints will be looking for a new number nine in the new year, but it’s a notoriously difficult time to conduct business.
Danny Ings, who has struggled since joining West Ham from Aston Villa, is one player who could be available.
Despite Michail Antonio’s injury, Ings has struggled for minutes, with David Moyes preferring youngster Divin Mubama from the bench in recent weeks.
Danny Ings could push for a January transfer.
So, there’s a good chance Ings will want to leave when the window opens, and writer Dean Jones told Give Me Sport that he may return to St. Mary’s Stadium, as he also highlighted Stewart’s injury.
“It was a significant signing for the Saints.” When you’re just starting out in the Championship, you need these kinds of agreements to pay off. But for the time being, it’s frustrating, and I’m sure there are lots of people who already feel let down. You think about somebody like Danny Ings who might become available in January and you think, maybe, just maybe, we can go acquire someone like him to help us out.
“I’m not sure how reasonable that is because I don’t think the Saints will give up on Stewart.” But you want to know he’ll be out there on the pitch, and you want to know he’ll be available. This is obviously a setback that the Saints could do without.”
Danny Ings could be the deciding factor for Russell Martin.
This would be a tough transaction to complete for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being financial.
However, if an agreement could be reached, it would be a fantastic signing for Southampton, and it is possible given that they are a club dear to his heart.
The former England international possesses the technical skills to thrive in a Martin team, and his goalscoring instincts would offer them a competitive advantage over their opponents.
