Aston Villa could be set to tie down their man in form, who already seems to have turned things around since the departure of Steven Gerrard…

What’s the latest?

According to Birmingham Live, whilst Unai Emery discussed transfer talk, it was revealed contract talks are continuing for striker Danny Ings.

The former Southampton hitman has just 19 months left on his £120k-per-week deal and, having been signed for £25m, Johan Lange will be reluctant to see him leave for free so soon after his 2021 summer move.

With the report also detailing that a winger is a top priority for the new boss in January, it is clear that the Spaniard hopes that a show of faith will spur Ings back to his goalscoring best.

Dream start

Although the 30-year-old had struggled in the early part of the season, in all honesty, he was one of many at Villa Park who suffered due to the ambiguous nature of Gerrard’s leadership.

With just one goal in the opening ten Premier League games of the season, it could have been assumed that the marksman was simply slowing down with age. Especially with a play style that relies upon explosive bursts to earn him the space to fire home.

However, since the departure of the 42-year-old, it is clear that he was simply a victim of the previous regime.

In the two games that Aaron Danks oversaw, he bagged two goals, and although he played little part in the win over Manchester United, his brace at Brighton & Hove Albion won them their first game on the road this season.

It is clear that given the right conditions he can still be a lethal striker at this level, continuing to prove himself as the “clinical finisher” that football writer Leanne Prescott once dubbed him.

Perhaps now, given a show of faith by a renowned manager, he can find himself recapturing his goalscoring form from his Saints days.

Should he accomplish this, where he bagged 46 times in 100 games on the south coast, it will further underpin how this makes Emery’s start in the Midlands a dream start.