West Ham United: Danny Ings return to Southampton mooted as setback news emerges
There is a chance that West Ham flop Danny Ings could return to Southampton in the January transfer window, according to Dean Jones.
Speaking to GiveMeSport on Wednesday (13 December), the former Eurosport journalist suggested a move could be possible for the 31-year-old after Saints forward Ross Stewart has suffered a setback in his return from injury.
But he said he isn’t sure how reasonable a move for the English forward could be as he doesn’t believe the Championship side are going to give up on Stewart after he joined the club from Sunderland over the summer.
“It was a big signing for Saints,” said Jones. “When you’re dropping into the Championship, you need these sort of deals to pay off. But at the moment, it’s frustrating, and I’m sure there’s plenty of fans that feel like it’s already a let down.
“You think about players like Danny Ings that might become available in January and you think maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance we can go and get someone like that to help us through. I’m not sure how reasonable that is because I don’t think Saints are going to be giving up on Stewart.
“But you want to know that he’s going to be out on that pitch, you want to know he’s going to be available. This is clearly a setback that Saints could really do without.”
Let him go
There really doesn’t seem like much point in West Ham keeping hold of Ings on the back of his miserable time at the London Stadium.
The forward has scored just three goals and laid on two assists in 36 appearances for the Hammers since making the move from Aston Villa in January.
He is clearly very short on confidence at this moment in time and it doesn’t look like he is going to recapture his previous form in the Premier League any time soon.
That is why a move away from East London could be the best solution for the Englishman once January comes around, with Southampton potentially being an option for him.
But it will depend on his wages and whether or not he is willing to drop down to the Championship just yet as he may believe he still has something to offer in the top flight.
In other West Ham news, a journalist has made a “big” Moyes admission ahead of a sit-down with the Hammers hierarchy.