Aston Villa have reportedly rejected a loan offer from Everton for Danny Ings, but it’s suggested that we could leave the door open for a permanent deal this month.
Ings was signed in August 2021 from Southampton, and the 30-year-old has since gone on to score 13 goals and provide seven assists in 49 appearances for the club.
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While he has shown his quality at times, it has largely been clouded by the ongoing question over whether or not he and Ollie Watkins can effectively play alongside each other on a consistent basis, or if he or Watkins should be the lone striker to lead the line.
More often than not, and perhaps more importantly since Unai Emery arrived, Watkins has been at the top of the pecking order, and he has delivered two goals and two assists in four appearances under the current Villa boss.
That in turn led to speculation last week that Ings could be allowed to leave, and now according to the Daily Mail’s Dominic King, Villa have rejected a loan offer from Everton for the striker.
However, it’s added that Villa would only allow Ings to leave on a permanent basis, and with other clubs said to be interested in acquiring his services – as per King – it remains to be seen whether or not a deal will be done this month.
On one hand, it would be a shame to see Ings leave as when featuring for Villa, he has always given maximum effort and has scored goals for us to suggest that he can play an important role as part of a squad.
That said, if Emery has made his assessments and believes that he doesn’t fit into his system and style of play, then it would perhaps be the best thing for all concerned to try and find a solution elsewhere now.
Should Ings leave, that would certainly mean Villa would need to bring in a striker this month to add competition and depth up front, and so it will be interesting to see if we have a target lined up before allowing Ings to leave, but if a deal can’t be done for said target, that could perhaps scupper any exit until the summer.
