An update has emerged on Southampton forward Danny Ings, regarding West Ham's interest in his services.
What's the talk?
According to The Athletic, West Ham are showing an interest in Southampton centre-forward Danny Ings as he continues to opt against signing a new contract at St. Mary's.
He has 12 months left to run on his existing deal and is waiting to see what offers he gets from other teams this summer before committing his future to the Saints.
The report claims that Tottenham and Aston Villa are also interested in the England international, although, Ings is hoping to join a club already in the Champions League picture for next season.
Arnautovic 2.0
West Ham must seal a deal to sign Ings if there is any chance of them being able to land him. The line about him wanting Champions League football clearly does not favour the Hammers in any transfer pursuit, given that they failed to make the top four last term, but that does not mean that the situation cannot change. David Moyes may be able to sell the project to Ings and convince him that with his help, West Ham can become a top-four club in the not-too-distant future.
The club should be working hard to get a deal over the line for the English forward, as he could be a sublime addition to the squad as he is the type of player that Moyes needs.
Michail Antonio was West Ham's top scorer last season with 10 strikes and Sebastien Haller's tally of three was the next highest by a striker in the squad, suggesting that the Scot is in dire need of another centre-forward.
In terms of West Ham centre-forwards down the years, Ings is comparable to maverick ex-Stoke man Marko Arnautovic. Ings may not be the fiery character, to put it lightly, Arnautovic is but he carries similar qualities in the way he operates at the top end of the pitch.
The Austrian averaged over one dribble per game across his two Premier League campaigns for the Irons, as Ings has in the past two years for the Saints, whilst they both struggled aerially with 1.2 aerial battles won per game or fewer in each of their past two domestic seasons in England.
Both players like to take players on and create chances for themselves, taking shots from distance. They can create opportunities out of nothing to score goals, with both players hitting double figures for goals in those two seasons.
Clinton Morrison once said that Ings has “first-class” movement and claimed that he has the ability to play for a top-four club given his form for Southampton in the Premier League in recent seasons.
"Yes, I would say Danny Ings is top-four quality, most definitely. The season he's had at Southampton, if you put him in one of the teams at the top four, he'd easily score goals like that.
"I used to play with a striker who used to play like Danny Ings - Robbie Keane.
"I look at the way Ings plays at the moment, his movement is first class and I used to say to Robbie Keane, 'how do you get in behind defenders when you're not rapid?' His movement was first-class and Danny Ings is like that."
Ings could be a sublime addition to West Ham's squad and become the striker that Moyes has been lacking. His movement and wizardry to create chances for himself can help to unlock defences and help the Hammers win even more games in the Premier League next season, giving them a real shot at a top-four finish.
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