10 Jan 2014

Striker Coup? - LFC want 'unplayable' €10m star with 23 goals/assists in 28 apps.

In December, multiple reports claimed that Brendan Rodgers had sent scouts to watch Burnley goalscorer Danny Ings as a potential January transfer target. Whether liverpool need another striker in January is open to debate, but speculation over a possible move for for the 21-year old is intensifying this week.

According to the Daily Mail today:

"Liverpool are among the Barclays Premier League clubs tracking Burnley striker Danny Ings".

With 19 goals and 4 assists in 28 games this season, €10m-rated Ings is in great form at the moment.

When asked recently about Liverpool's interest, Burnley manager Sean Dyche conceded that the striker is in demand, but dismissed the notion that the Reds had made any firm moves. He told the Burnley Express:

"[Transfer interest] is the reality of people doing well. It's just a natural progression of that. There isn't any factual interest [in Ings] that I know. No-one has rung me, so that's factual, but there are a million stories."

Ings has a good goal record, but €10m is arguably excessive and optimistic, for the following reasons:

* He is not a proven goalscorer. He's on fire this season, but between 2010 and 2013, he grabbed just 14 goals overall.

* Injury history is a concern: Ings has been blighted with injuries over the last two seasons, and with Sturridge already injury prone, LFC don't need another striker susceptible to problems.

* It's a risk to spend £5m-£10m on a Championship striker so early in his career. Who's to say that Ings won't turn out to be a one-season wonder, or even a half-season wonder?

Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton is piling on the hype about Ings, and in a September interview Bolton News, he raved:

“Ingsy...has been superb and to be honest I can only see [him] getting better. When [he] is on fire, as he has been for the majority of the season so far, [he's] almost unplayable at this level"

Hmmm. I'm always suspicious of the use of the word 'unplayable' to describe a footballer. It's an exaggerated term that has no real meaning (IMO). After all, West Ham co-owner David Sullivan recently described Andy Carroll as unplayable (!)

Is Ings ready for the step-up? If Liverpool are to buy a striker, it's a good idea to go for someone who won't mind playing second-fiddle to the Suarez and Sturridge. I doubt Ings would have a problem playing back-up striker to those two, whereas an expensive, top class striker would expect to start most games.



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34 comments:

  1. Carroll is unplayable - you can't get him on the pitch!

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  2. Not sure why we'd be after another striker, we clearly need a deeper lying attacking player to support Suarez and Sturridge, either a winger or a pure number 10. It's always good to track new strikers but I don't see this as a priority for the first team. If the kid wants to come here and fight for a place then credit to him but I'd put this down as one of those where we are "monitoring" the player and not much more.

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  3. Yes need 1 more strikers rotation suarez and Daniel . Agree totally with your comments. About a 10 and wingers or attacking and defensive left back and right back. We must get gerrards long term replacement . KoKe from athletico at 17 mil Buy don't look back.

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  4. And I think that striker is Morata.

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  5. I wonder why some strikers from the lower English leagues never get picked up. We were linked with Charlie Austin who is a goal scoring machine, same with Rhodes, and now Danny Ings is proving he can score some goals.

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  6. Why? I'd rather we signed a domestic based player or I'm hoping Borini can come back and provide competition. Personally, I'm sick of overhyped and overpriced Spaniards. Because of their international success they have become the chosen race or something. Aspas and Alberto have done nothing. If those two were born in Australia or a similar country in footballing stature, they would not make it to any top league.

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  7. Spanish days are over. If you want to get ahead of the game sign German. They look set to be the next Euro force.

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  8. It is always good to have a backup striker who can score goals. This is to prepare Liverpool in case Suarez leaves in the summer or if Suarez gets injured.

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  9. I think Aspas is better than his current reputation. If he can stay strong on the bench and score a few goals in the second half of the season I think he'll prove a valuable member of the team. Borini would also fancy his chances. I'd really like both of them to push for a spot in the team next season by hitting some good form. We probably don't need them both but if they were our two back-ups would that be so bad?

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  10. Why not? The goal at 0:44-0:50 in that video should make anyone take notice. Not because of how far he travels with the ball, but because of his form on it. Feinting to switch feet and go inside at that pace, with the ball close to him; intelligence to use the space made for him by his team mate; strength to hold off the defender; composure in the box and a neat disguised finish. His control and fluid volleyed finish in the next goal is extraordinary. All this takes real talent. I like his leap for the headed goal too, showing timing and commitment in the air. He's obviously a very promising player, well worth a punt at around £5 with add-ons.

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  11. Haha, I mean £5m!

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  12. IMO Aspas will leave in the summer window as he will just be mooted to the bench, he couldn't start a league game with Sturridge out, and now Sturridge is back...Borini has a much better chance of coming back and establishing himself because he is getting some decent game time at Sunderland. What was the point of signing Aspas at all, we should of just kept Borini at the club. It's unfortunate how his time at LFC has panned out but if I were Aspas I'd definitely leave.

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  13. Jordan Rhodes.

    That is all.

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  14. Aspas will surely leave in the summer. No doubts in my mind!

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  15. That's a Liverpool player right there. Unfortunately we seem to miss out on this ones in recent years. FSG and Ayre are not doing their job well enough.

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  16. Sometimes we need to take a gamble on these type of players.

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  17. The points you raise are correct he is a good player but we have Borini and Assaidi out on-loan too, do we really need to take another gamble???...................I think we need another strong and quick DM to patrol in front of the back four with Lucas, allowing SG to move forward again........................maybe i'm wrong!!!

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  18. Too many gambles recently!!!

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  19. NO WAY!!!!! IN H*LL!!!

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  20. Pete agree with Aspas Alberto needs time but Morata is a big talent as is Koke he looks real good too.
    Does seem to help if you are from Spain but they are churning out a lot of good ones.

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  21. better than Aspas. I'd rather add a few more quid to get Salah.

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  22. What I like about Ings is that he is arrogant and a bully to the ball. Now can he do that with superior competition, week in and week out, that is the gamble. I can see Ings taking it to the next level. He is hungry!

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  23. Good video...I like this kid. VERY composed in tight spaces. Excellent ability to put the ball on the net from virtually any position. Seems to have all the required self-confidence to be a great striker.

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  24. Well you're right! But we do have options in midfield with Gerrard, Lucas, Henderson, Allen, who can all play in any midfield role. We don't have those options upfront. Personally I like a squad with lots of comings and goings, stops things from getting stagnant and keeps the players on their toes. Look at Man Utd for a good example of what can happen if things are allowed to get too settled.

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  25. Good stuff Pete, agree with all this.

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  26. I'm just rolling with the window and thinking about who is available. Apparently Morata is no longer available...so scratch him. I like this Ings kid...he's got skill and moxie. I am not sure at all though that he would relish riding the pine regardless of the size of the club...seems like he has too much pride for that. I like how Assaidi is panning out too. I don't think Aspas stays...and I am wondering if Suso returns either. He may just want to get on with his life.

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  27. Suso is a Spaniard that deserves some hype. I hope he comes back and Rodgers wants him because he just looks like a younger David Silva, way way way better than Alberto/Aspas/any other squad player in the positions Suso can play

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  28. Trust me, this player is pure class.
    Don't be fooled by the goals-to-games ratio or concerned by his injury record. In fact, those two facts are linked; two freak injuries stopping his
    development for nearly two seasons. After which and without a loss of confidence similar setbacks have had on other players (Ramsey, for example), Ings has taken a very steep learning curve.

    And please, don’t compare him to Jordan Rhodes or Charlie Austin; Ings is far better than both and better than Rodriguez at Southampton, another product of the Burnley youth system.

    Ings has pace, can finish in a variety of ways (see the YouTube video), is good in the air for a man only 5’10’’ and can play as a number nine or in behind as a number 10. Unlike Rhodes and Austin, Ings is more than just a finisher. Don’t laugh, but scouts have been heard to compare Ings off-the-ball movement to that of Messi. Please note, I’m not saying he’s in that class! But the point is, don’t write him off because he plays in the Championship.

    Liverpool should sign him – and I’m a Burnley fan – because, trust me, he will be better than Sturridge and play for England within two years. Not just once like Nugent – someone on here said he was a better option – but many times.

    Best player I have seen at Turf Moor in 30 years. But he’ll rightly cost you more than the £5m mentioned on here. £8m should do it. It will be money well spent.

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  29. We need wide MF who can score goals. Coutinho needs a break. and so does Sterling. We can play with one upfront if either Sturridge or Suarez is out. We need more MF and we need better production from our Full backs. Flanno was doing well bombing forward and being a threat before getting injured, the rest are either playing with too much fear or have poor end product. Getting Enrique back should be great too. But its Midfielders, Fullbacks and then if we can manage it right, a Striker. I wouldn't buy this lad at this time. January is not the time to buy prospects and thats what he would be behind Sturridge and Suarez.

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  30. Need to get sam from hypia at bayern never loosen class and elia from some other german team check them out if you havent seen them pace skill comfortable with the ball good playmakers grafter that play back and score goals

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  31. Thanks for this informative post mate. From what I've seen of him I agree. What are his weaknesses though? And what's his character like? Coming back from serious injury suggests he's got some drive about him, but what's his local reputation?

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  32. The thing that impressed about his comeback from a double injury was they way his development continued straight after he got back playing. Late teens and early twenties is an awful age for a footballer to suffer serious injury and many don't make it back. The fact he came back a better player got my attention.


    Weakness? Not many. Maybe his confidence and arrogance could come back to haunt him if he plays at a higher level and doesn't cut it from the get-go. And he's got used to being the main man. That's not going to be the case at Liverpool. He's good but he's no Suarez!


    And his local reputation is of a highly dedicated professional and hard worker. I'm not one to normally hype Championship players, but he WILL be a top, top player.


    Put it this way, if we go up - and there is a chance we will - he'll be much more expensive to buy from a Premiership club than one in the Championship. And oh yes, we've just signed a striker...

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