Everton have found themselves struggling in the Premier League once again this season but Frank Lampard will be afforded the opportunity to strengthen his squad and find solutions during the transfer window this month.

The Toffees are currently 18th in the league table ahead of their clash with 20th-placed Southampton at the weekend and taking all three points from the Goodison Park clash will be crucial in their efforts to climb out of the relegation zone into a much more comfortable position.

It has become glaringly obvious that Everton's attacking threat has been significantly weakened by the departure of Richarlison and injury troubles plaguing Dominic Calvert-Lewin despite the signings of Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil.

The Merseysiders have the third-worst goal tally in the entire top flight which should make it clear to Lampard that his top priority should be signing a goal-scorer who can make an instant impact in the team during the current transfer window as pressure mounts for positive performances and outcomes on the pitch.

One player who Everton have reportedly already had a bid rejected for is Aston Villa striker Danny Ings as the Midlands club are reluctant to part ways with their goal-machine half way through the season.

Indeed, the Toffees are in a sticky situation with their finances which will likely only worsen should they get relegated this season so the powers at Goodison Park will need to decide if the risk guarantees them reward going forward.

Ings has been an established Premier League striker for many years now, tallying up 68 league goals and 19 assists over his 187 appearances so far, with a goal contribution every 2.1 matches.

Over 17 appearances this season, Ings - who was dubbed a "goal machine" by football writer Simon Peach - has scored six times and successfully completed 60% of his dribble attempts so far, proving to be an asset who causes all sorts of danger to his opponents.

Furthermore, he has won 2.1 duels per game, suggesting he is a physical presence too, with the aforementioned numbers indicating that he could be a hugely valuable asset to Everton.

If the club can acquire the services of the former Liverpool striker this month it wouldn't be the first time that they have had success with Aston Villa alumni.

Indeed, Ronald Koeman captured the tremendous signing of Idrissa Gana Gueye from Villa back in 2016 with the midfielder quickly becoming a stand-out performer during his first stint with the Toffees.

He was one of the best tough-tackling players in the division during that initial spell, making 4.1 tackles per game in the 2016/17 campaign, the highest of any player in the top flight that year.

The hope, therefore, is that Ings could have a similar impact if he moved along the same path to Merseyside.

It is without a doubt that the forward could be the exact profile of player that can help the Toffees' forward line and it could just be a game-changing signing over the rest of the campaign.