x

Would Saints Supporters Have Danny Ings Back At St Mary's

When Danny Ings left Southampton last summer with very indecent haste, Saints supporters felt betrayed in a way that would not usually be the case when a much loved player leaves the club, but with rumours that Aston Villa are now looking to cut their losses, would we have him back at at St Mary's.

There is no doubt that Saints supporters were upset when Danny Ings left the club last summer, we were prepared for him to go to a big club and perhaps have one last shot at the big time and the Champions League etc, but going to to Aston Villa was not much of a step up from Saints.

Of course there was no doubt they were a bigger club, but truth is in today's game clubs like Villa and Everton have been left behind from being a true power in the Premier League.

Danny Ings went for the "Project" so he said, but having just turned 29 he hardly had a lot of time left for a project, he needed to go to a club that could give him a shot at glory now.

But with the season drawing to a close it hasn't quite turned out the way that the striker had hoped.

Villa endured a poor start to the season and sacked their manager and Ings has found himself down the pecking order at Villa Park, he has started just 19 of the 32 Premier League games he could have played in, come on as sub in another 5 and taken no part in the other 8.

Ings was signed to score goal, but he has managed just 5, one of them a penalty in his first game for the club, indeed after scoring in his second game, he has hit the net just 3 times in the next 8 months, ironically the last of those coming against Saints in our 4-0 defeat at Villa Park, although to be fair I could probably have got a goal that day we were so poor.

This has let to the rumours that Villa are now looking to offload him at a cut price or use him as a makeweight in a deal with Brighton for Yves Bissouma.

But with it looking unlikely that Armando Broja returns to the club next season, Saints will be looking at their options up front for next season and inevitably Ings name will crop up.

Turning 30 in July he will not be a target for one of the bigger clubs, so the likes of Brighton and Saints are obvious links.

One issue though will be wages, Ings went to Villa for around £130,000 a week if the stories from last summer are to be believed, if he goes on a permanent transfer there are going to be no takers at that level.

He would be looking at taking a drop of at least £60 k a week perhaps more given his poor scoring record this season and age, with two years left on his current contract. would he be willing to throw away around £6 million of potential earnings in the next two years.

That makes it likely that if he does go in the summer then it could be out on loan to someone, where a deal could be struck regarding his wages.

So would you welcome Ings back as the Prodigal Son or should we leave him as part of our history.

I'm sure some will feel that he burned his bridges last summer, others will feel that we could do better, but there will be those that think that at the right price, it could be a deal worth doing.

Putting all emotion to one side, how do you feel about a potential return ?

Vote now in our poll using the link below and also add your comments and feelings about the local lad who came back once and could do so again.

https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/forum/284993/would-you-welcom

What to read next:

Former Saints Striker Could Be Coming Home !
Virtually every transfer window over the past couple of years has seen the rumour of a return to Southampton for Danny Ings, it seems that this summer will be no different.
Southampton V Liverpool The Verdict
Saints seemed to get lucky in the draw for the team line up and put in a decent performance, however their luck ran out in the second half, as Liverpool got all the luck when VAR was called into action.
Liverpool 3 - 1 Southampton - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Southampton V Liverpool The Preview
How do I write this one, I doubt whether many Saints fans are putting their money on this not being the 8th defeat in a row for Southampton at Anfield, it's top V bottom and never in my 50 odd years of supporting Southampton has the gulf in class been as wide between the two teams.
Adam Lallana Passed Fit For The Draw For the Southampton Back Four At Anfield
Good news from St Mary's is that Adam Lallana will be in the draw for the Saints line up at Liverpool on Saturday, the former Anfield hero has been given ball number 10 in the draw which will be made at 1.30pm on Saturday.
The Draw For The Southampton Team To Face Liverpool Will Be At 1.30pm On Saturday
Most Southampton supporters have been baffled by both Russell Martin's & now Ivan Juric's team selections and the positions that he has played players in, but we at The Ugly Inside have now discovered the secret behind the team selection.
Southampton Will Not take Less Than They Paid For Central Defender
West Ham United & Crystal Palace are said to be interested in buying Taylor Harwood-Bellis in the summer, But Saints will not sell at a loss to the £20 million that they paid Manchester City last year.
Southampton At Liverpool In Pictures Part 2
The second part of our pictorial look at our recent visits to Anfield starts in the 2017/18 season, when Virgil Van Dijk's attitude that day, showed everyone where his loyalties now lay.
A Rough Guide To Liverpool
Once again Saints will take a sold out 3,000 fans on the road, despite the God awful season we are having, it will not be a pretty sight, but we will go with a little hope in our hearts, although that will be more for a narrow defeat than anything else.
Southampton Have Ivan Juric Replacement Lined Up
The latest media reports suggest that Saints have already decided that Ivan Juric is not their man for next season and they already have the man that they want to replace him lined up, the only question now is the timing of things.