Why Newcastle United Should Avoid Gambling On Liverpool’s Danny Ings
Newcastle United’s hunt for a new striker continues to see them linked with a different name every other day. The Magpies have been on the lookout for a new forward to add to their attack ahead of their big return to the Premier League, but have failed to bring a new face into the ranks as of yet.
Chelsea youngster Tammy Abraham was the only striker that the club had shown concrete interest in signing, but the teenager ended up joining Swansea City on loan. And ever since, the rumour mill has been going abuzz, linking every possible striker with a move to the St. James’ Park.
The latest in the series of names being linked is Liverpool’s English striker Danny Ings. The Daily Mail claims that the Tyneside outfit have made an enquiry to the Merseysiders regarding the availability of the striker.
The 25-year old Ings had been regarded as one of the brightest young players in England, after he scored 11 Premier League goals with Burnley back in the 2014/15 season. His impressive campaign saw Liverpool snap him up from the Clarets in the subsequent summer, but since his big move to Anfield, the Englishman’s progress has become stagnated due to serious injuries.
An anterior cruciate ligament injury in his first season, followed by another serious knee injury last year that required a surgery, have meant that the former Burnley man has hardly seen any action with the Merseyside club. In his two years with the Reds, Ings has played just 11 times in all competitions and has managed just 3 goals.
While there are no questions that Ings is a more than decent striker and has proven his abilities in the Premier League before, such serious injuries in quick successions take a lot out of the player. Benitez doesn’t have to look farther than his one-time apprentice Fernando Torres to realise the amount of damage such injuries can cause to a striker.
Ings has worked hard on his fitness and looked in good shape during the pre-season, but can he find that goal-scoring touch after such a long layoff? It is very hard to say. Newcastle can’t do with that at present. The club have returned back to the Premier League just a year after the ignominy of relegation back in the 2015/16 season and cannot risk slipping up again in their comeback season.
Newcastle have decent options in Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic, but given their past exploits in the Premier League it is unlikely that either of them will be able to deliver on the scale that Benitez would want them to. They should be targeting someone who can guarantee them goals on a constant basis, and right now, it is unlikely that Ings would be able to do that. Signing the 25-year old Englishman will be a major gamble at this point for Newcastle – something they would be better off avoiding.