The Athletic: Danny Ings signs new long-term contract, but not for Southampton.

Saves reopening it in a couple of years when he comes back.

 

....just scored on his debut for Villa...

 

We will need to get used to that, he is a top top player.

Only way the transfer doesn't work is if his injuries crop up again... which is probably going to happen.

 

The chances of him playing more than 30 games this season are vanishingly small.

 

When we played them at Villa Park their tactics were to kick him until he had to go off injured. Presumably it’s fair game if we now do that back?

 

Hmm, I'd have to say that 2 years of refusing a new contract and expecting to walk out the door to either champions league or on a free is pretty much asking for it.

Villa did us a real favor with this offer and Semmens has handled the Ings saga brilliantly. If the implication is that Danny isn't stoked with the move, well, hard luck. You make your choices, you accept the consequences.

 

Guessing Ings was content with the move (he wouldn't have signed otherwise), but it's a comment that we weren't strong-armed. And we weren't, really; Villa met our (plenty high) valuation, and Ings was willing, so off he went.

It's also a good message to the Daniel Levys of the world...don't overestimate your leverage, because you might go to kick the tyres only to find out the car has driven off.

 

Finally, the farewell message from Danny that we've been waiting for ....

 

**** him, he’s gone ……..£30m for a 29y old in his last year of his contract is great business.
Worry about the Villa fans when he picks up a “knock” ……and misses a few weeks here and there.

 

What would possess him to release this statement. It doesn’t make any sense. It isn’t going to make villa fans any happier. They are happy to have got him

and it will do nothing but anger or annoy Southampton fans given he could have made this stance clear in December . Perhaps he did internally and it took the time it did to generate a suitable bid

 

To he honest if I were them I’d be more concerned that he would try to prove otherwise and play through knocks and risk a far more serious injury

He flounced off relatively easily last season it seemed and his lack of commitment could be why. But it was self preservation. Whether he has that immediately at a new club with a World Cup on the horizon is a different matter (I am not sure he has a chance of getting to the World Cup though and I don’t think this move gets him that much closer if any closer at all)

 

I like the new boys attitude.

 

Was having a chat last night with a mate about Ings and he came to an interesting conclusion.

He was surprised that Ings had chosen to go to Villa (like I think most people were) and said “Yeah he’s done Saints a big favour there”

His logic was that Ings obviously wasn’t going to sign a new deal with us, but if he had waited the season and seen out his contract and gone for free then he would’ve had his pick of sides wanting to sign him next summer.

Villa were the only team willing to stump up the sort of cash Saints wanted to sell this summer so Ings actually did Saints a favour by choosing to go there rather than wait and go on a free to a better team next summer.

Dunno how much truth there is in it but thought it was an interesting take on it

 

From what I understand is that saints were shocked someone met our valuation, when we had only had offers for him for half of our valuation.

 

Well yeah, and my mates point was that Ings didn’t have to accept the contract from Villa even though they met our valuation. He could’ve said no, played out his contract and gone somewhere else. By accepting the contract he did Saints a huge favour allowing us to get a big fee for him

 

Hasn't made the latest England squad.

 

Yeah but I expect they offered to double his wages. The number I have seen is 120k up from probably 75.

Interesting thing is by all accounts we offered 100 for 4 years and he is signed for 120 for 3. So if true our contract offer was bigger overall

But I guess there are higher bonuses and the sign on and the like

I would be interested to know how our summer or future business (potentially into the next window) would have been impacted if he had not had gone. Because it seems like it would just have been he stayed and we wouldn’t have got Armstrong. So that theoretically leaves us up a certain amount once loyalty payments and the like are factored in

Either that is held for a potential bargain closer to deadline day or is going to be utilised in the next window (I hope)

 

Should be ahead of Bamford in the pecking order IMO and i'm so over him going, we look to have a more varied source of goals now and i'm grateful to him for his goals that probably saved us and of course the good chunk of money we got for him too.

 

The three strikers picked all can play a more target man role if required (although Kane never really does).

Ings has mostly played with a striking partner that he won’t have for England . Perhaps Southgate will want to see how he does with leading the line solo for Villa. And if they switch to pairing him with Watkins in an obvious front two then I think that is it for his England chances