Southampton had concerns about bringing Danny Ings back to St Mary’s before he completed a £12 million move to Premier League rivals West Ham United, according to The Athletic.
And it didn’t take long for that decision to feel somewhat justified.
Ings suffered a knee injury mere moments into his West Ham debut during the 2-0 triumph over Everton. He now faces a number of weeks out of action.
A spell on the sidelines has never been too far away during Ings’ Premier League career. In fact, he has missed well over 100 games since that dreaded ACL rupture during his spell at Liverpool.
Former Southampton striker Danny Ings joins West Ham from Aston Villa
Even at Southampton, where Ings played the best football of his life, niggles and knocks, strains and tears consigned the England international to the treatment table far more frequently than Ralph Hasenhuttl would have liked.
So while there would have been a very real temptation to bring Ings back to his old stomping ground when it transpired that Aston Villa were listening to offers, The Athletic claims that Ings was eventually viewed as ‘too much of a risk’ for the Southampton chiefs.
The Saints tried to sign Ings on loan. But they were reluctant to match West Ham’s £12 million bid for a man who has managed over 30 starts in a Premier League season on just two occasions.
“He’s had an injection in his knee,” Moyes told the BBC last week. “And we hope to have him back quite quickly.”
Paul Onuachu, in contrast, has made more than 40 appearances in each of the last two seasons. The former Genk talisman brought an end to Southampton’s lengthy striker search; arriving in an £18 million deadline day deal. A prolific goalscorer, Onuachu joins after netting 17 goals in 22 games during the first half of 2022/23.
But Onuachu’s availability could be just as important as his aerial presence and finishing prowess. With Southampton facing a race against time to preserve their Premier League status, they needed a centre-forward who could be relied upon to start week-in, week-out. Right from day one.
Unfortunately, for all of Ings’ talents, ‘availability’ is not one of his strong suits.
“Paul is a significant signing for us,” Saints boss Nathan Jones says of Onuachu. “He completes what has been an extremely positive month in terms of recruitment.
“He’s a handful to play against, has got a tremendous record throughout his career. He’s also someone who brings great experience with him. So he’ll be a really positive addition to the squad.”
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