The Daily Mail, when reporting on West Ham United’s attempts to sign England international Danny Ings from Aston Villa, noted that David Moyes is a ‘long-time admirer’ of the £30 million centre-forward.
You can say that again.
It is eight years since Moyes first attempted to sign Ings; trying and failing to lure the then-Burnley talisman to Spain during his short-lived stint in charge of Real Sociedad.
“Danny is someone who I think has done really well, and who anyone would like to have,” Moyes told the BBC all the way back in February 2015. “Would we be able to attract him here? I don’t know.”
With Liverpool snapping up Ings for a cool £7 million a couple of months later, Moyes’ hopes quickly went up in smoke. But, not to be deterred, the Scot came calling for Ings for a second time in August 2016, after returning to English soil with Sunderland,
Once again, however, the door closed in Moyes’ face. According to the Mail, Liverpool ruled out letting the then-23-year-old poacher leave during his recovering from a serious knee injury.
David Moyes could finally land Danny Ings at West Ham United
Third time lucky, perhaps? West Ham have reportedly agreed a fee that could see Ings swap one claret-and-blue shirt for another. For half the £30 million fee Villa paid Southampton last summer no less (Sky Sports).
Moyes, then, must feel like Wile E. Coyote if he’d finally sunk his teeth into Road Runner. They say the thrill is in the chase, but the satisfaction is in the victory.
After two failed attempts, and nearly a decade of waiting, the under-fire West Ham boss appears to be on the verge of landing one of his most long-running transfer targets. The Standard believe Ings is set to undergo a medical at the London Stadium. He might even be unveiled before Saturday’s crunch clash with Moyes’ old employers Everton; a relegation six pointer if there ever was one.
With Gianluca Scamacca missing training this week, with Michail Antonio’s form taking a nosedive, and with West Ham’s top-flight status on the line, Moyes’ long-running pursuit of Danny Ings may be about to come to an end at precisely the right time.
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