Exclusive: McAvennie wants West Ham to sign Southampton striker Danny Ings
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Frank McAvennie has urged West Ham to sign Southampton centre-forward Danny Ings before the January transfer window closes.
Ings, 28, is one of England’s most prolific strikers with the former Burnley and Liverpool man notching seven goals in 13 Premier League appearances this season and 22 goals in 38 league outings last term.
David Moyes is on the hunt for a new striker after the Irons sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax earlier this month, which left Michail Antonio as the only centre-forward in the senior squad at the London Stadium.
McAvennie wants to see England international Ings join Antonio in Moyes’ strikeforce, claiming that he’d be a popular choice among fans.
“Ings would be a player. He’s the player I’d like to see at West Ham,” McAvennie told West Ham Zone.
“I don’t know why they’re not going for him. I’ve seen Tottenham’s going for him.
“They should be going for players like Ings. That’s the kind of player the fans want to see West Ham going for – not people they don’t know. Nobody knew who Haller was.
“Ings is tried and proven, he’s at the top of his game. He’s not finished, he’s not a player nobody knows. He’s somebody who can do it in the Premier League.”
“Why not go for him?”
Ings would be an incredible signing for West Ham this month but, as McAvennie says, he’s attracting attention from Champions League-chasing Tottenham.
According to The Sun, Ings is in the final 18 months of his deal at St Mary’s and “is keeping his options open” about his future.
Spurs reportedly want him while the striker is said to be keen on playing in the Champions League next season.
West Ham are unlikely to secure a top-four finish but why would Ings want to join a club like Spurs when he’s not going to play every week? He’s already in Harry Kane’s shadow in the England squad so why leave a concrete starting spot at Southampton for a place on the bench in North London?
Antonio’s been brilliant for us but Ings would be a step up, in our honest opinion, so he’s bound to be a starter for Moyes.
Let’s see what happens in the summer when Ings enters the last years of his contract on the south coast but we doubt that we’d have much hope of signing him.
In other West Ham news, Moyes wants more from his side despite them beating West Brom.