After just two wins in their first 13 games, not many people gave Southampton a chance to stay in the Premier League. The Saints had a horrific start to the season which included a 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Leicester City at home.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s job was on the line but the Austrian turned things around thanks to some much-needed help from his star striker.
Not much was expected of Danny Ings after his injury-hit spell at Liverpool. The Englishman always had the quality but very few people expected him to get over his injury woes to perform consistently.
However, Ings was a star for the Saints last season. The former Burnley striker scored 25 goals in all competitions, 22 of which came in the Premier League. That is an incredible record for any player and it is sure to have grabbed the attention of a few top clubs.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown claimed last month that he would gladly have Ings at the Emirates if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang chose to leave the club. (TalkSport, 17 July, 10.25 am) He definitely wouldn’t have been the only one to think that which should worry the Saints over a potential bid for him.
Ings would, no doubt, love to prove people wrong by performing well at a big club, especially after his poor spell at Liverpool. However, Saints legend Matt Le Tissier has urged the striker to stay put even if a bigger club comes in for him.
He said on The British Football Podcast: “He has had a big move to a big club and it didn’t quite work out for him because of injuries. For me, he is in the perfect position at his hometown club, he is the star man, everything revolves around him, he probably won’t get a happier time in his football life.”
“Those would be my words to him, you have had your go at the big club, you are at your hometown club, everyone adores you, why would you want to change it?”
Le Tissier certainly has a point there but every footballer dreams of succeeding at a big club and Ings would be no different. However, if the Englishman sticks with the Saints and continues to perform as well as he did last season, he will go down as a club legend.
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