Danny Ings to make doubters eat their words after what he did at West Ham United
West Ham United will be the first to admit that their start to the Premier League season has not been good enough.
While the Irons currently find themselves in a poor run of form, the last-second equaliser from Danny Ings against Fulham (14 September) should fill them with some hope.
The club have layers of talent within their ranks and with new arrivals now getting used to Julen Lopetegui’s tactics, things could start to pick up.
Mark Chapman, however, doesn’t believe this is the case. The BBC presenter questioned whether the Hammers have a strong enough talisman to lead their attacking line.
“I suppose the question will be have they got the player who can put the ball in the back of the net regularly,” Chapman asked on the Football Daily Podcast (17 September, 26:24).
“Is that going to be Fullkrug or Michail Antonio or Danny Ings?”
While the duo of Ings and Antonio may not have had the best of seasons last term, there’s no doubt that the former is out for vengeance.
Danny Ings could the save West Ham United season
While Niclas Fullkrug still finds himself ruled out due to injury [Nizaar Kinsella, 19 September] and Antonio continues his poor run of form, Ings is the man Lopetegui will likely look at to help solve his attacking woes.
The striker was consistently linked with a London Stadium exit over the summer but since then, it looks like the former Southampton man will be staying until the end of the season [GiveMeSport, 16 September].
Admittedly his form last term wasn’t great but after his equaliser against the Cottagers, the 31-year-old might have a newfound fire in his belly.
Ings’ contract runs out at the end of the season and with no clubs wanting to take him off the Hammers’ hands during the summer, the striker needs to show he’s still got what it takes.
The upcoming clash with Chelsea (21 September) could be the perfect chance for Ings to show he still has it within him to be a top-flight striker and perhaps even become a hero, making Chapman eat his words.
In other West Ham news, Chris Sutton has shared his verdict on Julen Lopetegui.
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