Celtic transfer failure explained as move for West Ham player falls through
Celtic’s deadline day move for striker Danny Ings fell through due to their strained relationship with West Ham, according to Scott Burns.
The Hoops considered a last-gasp swoop for the 32-year-old, just hours before the 11pm deadline approached [The Sun], with the player in the Hammers’ squad to face Chelsea on Monday (3 February).
Graham Potter’s side wanted to do business going the other way, hoping to sign youngster Daniel Cummings on a pre-contract, but the Scottish side continued to turn down bids from East London [Sky Sports].
Speaking via the Daily Record’s Hotline Live [3 February], Burns said: “The one name that was banging about at Celtic was Danny Ings. We know he was on the bench [v Chelsea].
“I think that was always a long shot. My understanding is that relations between West Ham and Celtic are not the greatest at this moment in time because of West Ham’s move for Daniel Cummings.”
Danny Ings misses out on last-gasp West Ham United exit
Ings might have to strap in for another frustrating six months at the London Stadium, with yet another manager continuing to overlook him as an attacking option.
Julen Lopetegui refused to utilise the striker during his short tenure in East London, much like David Moyes, and he has just four Premier League starts to his name in the last two seasons.
Even with Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug sidelined, Potter has chosen to use Lucas Paqueta or Mohammed Kudus through the middle rather than the experienced centre-forward.
And now, with Jarrod Bowen returning from injury with a bang, scoring the Hammers’ only goal in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, Ings has even less chance of breaking into the starting XI this season.
A move to Celtic would have made brilliant sense for all parties involved, with the Hammers getting his wages off the bill, but they will have to wait until the summer to make any deal happen now.
In other West Ham news, Tim Sherwood named his “signing of the window” after what happened at the London Stadium.
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