Danny Ings – Fantasy Football Potential

Southampton have made the signing of Liverpool striker Danny Ings for a fee in the region of £20 million. The forward was on loan at the Saints last season and clearly impressed enough to earn a permanent move to St. Mary’s. He struggled for game time at Anfield with the likes of Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi being preferred to the Englishman.

On his move, Ings has said:

“Now I’ve signed permanently, I feel great. I’ve looked after myself over the summer and I’m just raring to go for the new season. The last few years have been very up and down for me, but now I’ve looked after myself over this summer and I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully great things can come from it.”

Player History

Ings started his playing career at Premier League rivals Bournemouth, coming through the academy with the Cherries. He spent a couple of seasons there scoring 7 goals in 26 League One games. During his spell on the coast he was sent out on loan to then Conference South side Dorchester where he scored an additional 7 goals in just 13 matches in all competitions.

Despite his average scoring record, he made a move to Burnley who were in the Championship at the time in 2011. Unfortunately for him, his scoring record wasn’t exactly prolific in his first two seasons. He scored just 6 in 47 Championship appearances meaning he must have been on the brink of being sold by the club.

However, the 2013/14 season was where his career really took off. He netted 26 times in all competitions for the Clarets earning him multiple individual accolades and ultimately promotion to the Premier League. He was named the Championship Player of the Year, took a place in the Team of the Year and earned the Player of the Month award in October.

There was interest from other clubs after such a good season, but Ings stayed with Sean Dyche’s side, where he’d have a productive season, scoring 11 Premier League goals but it wasn’t enough to keep Burnley up though. Ings would stay in the Premier League, making his way to Liverpool for a fee which could’ve risen to £8 million.

However it is highly doubtful any of the possible add-ons were met, as Ings struggled with several injuries and couldn’t regain a place in Jurgen Klopp’s side. In three seasons at Anfield he played just 14 times in England’s top flight, which included 0 league matches in the 2016/17 campaign. However at the beginning of the 2015/16 season, he managed to get an England call up. He’d eventually get his first and only England cap against Lithuania, coming on as a substitute in the 59th minute for Harry Kane.

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Fast-forwarding to the beginning of last season, Ings was looking like Liverpool’s third choice striker, so a reluctant Klopp allowed the forward to spend some time out on loan, which he did with Southampton. 7 goals in 24 was a decent return for the local lad, and he’ll look to kick on next season.

Fantasy Football Potential

Danny Ings hasn’t been a solid pick for FPL managers for a few seasons now but with a good amount of game time finally under his belt, he could become a very decent option once again. Southampton have spent the last couple of seasons battling relegation, but with a couple of cute signings, they may be able to reach the dizzy heights of European football again.

Ings has been joined by Che Adams in joint the Saints this summer and two could combine for a lethal partnership with the likes of Charlie Austin and Guido Carrillo out of favour with Ralph Hassenhüttl. During his spell last season, Ings’ goals and assists meant he recorded 90 FPL points in just 1,650 Premier League minutes. This would mean he’d get near 200 points if he played in all of the games next season.

His price this year of £6.0m has the potential to be the bargain of the season if he can continue his goalscoring record, alongside a healthy amount of game time. Every season, there seems to be a striker in his price range who becomes a must own, with Raul Jimenez being the latest example. He’s still only 26 years old meaning the peak of his game will be around this time of his career.

Written by, Harry Clark (@HarryClark_)

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