25 Apr 2016

Anfield Update: Liverpool close to paying record transfer fee for 'terrific' attacker. Decision this week

Ten months after selling him to Liverpool, Burnley are still awaiting a transfer fee for 'terrific' striker Danny Ings, and the failure of both clubs to reach an agreement means that a Professional Football compensation committee (PFCC) is set to make the decision, which could prove to be very costly for the Reds.

According to The Telegraph:

"The tribunal to determine [Ings'] fee will be held on Tuesday at a venue in Manchester [and] Burnley hope the fee will set [a new] record".

Ings moved to Liverpool on Bosman free transfer last summer, but as an under-23 player, Burnley are entitled to compensation for their investment in the player in the four years prior to his departure.

Burnley’s chief executive Dave Baldwin appears to be confident in forcing Liverpool to pay through the nose, and an in recent interview, he claimed:

"This tribunal claim will be the biggest in history. [We have prepared] in excess of 400 or 500 pages with witness statements, evidence, and analytics about player performance".

If the tribunal goes against Liverpool, how much will the Reds have to pay out? Worst case scenario, it'll probably be around the £12m mark, which is the fee Burnley allegedly rejected prior to selling Ings to LFC.

Is Ings worth £12m? Talented British players often sell for grossly inflated transfer fees, so by comparison, he's arguably a bargain at that price. Plus, if Ings ultimately fails at Anfield, the worst case scenario is that Liverpool will make their money back (or close to it), so the risk is minimal (as compared to, say, £20m on Lazar Markovic).

That said, I personally don't rate Ings as highly as some fans. He grabbed only 11 goals in 37 games for Burnley last season, and Jamie Vardy beat that in just 14 games this season (and he's since annihilated Ings' record).

Ings is a good squad player to have, though, and that's probably his future. The presence of Firmino, Sturridge, and Origi (who's arguably moved ahead of him in the pecking order) will severely curtail Ings' opportunities at Anfield.

Additionally, like almost every Liverpool manager stretching back to Shankly, Klopp will inevitably bring in a top striker at some point, which will limit Ings' chances even further.

There's always a possibility that on his return, Ings will become an unstoppable goal-machine and keep every other striker out of the team, but I can't see that happening.

He'll definitely get chances, though; with his constant running, pressing, and hassling, Ings is an archetypal Jurgen Klopp player, and those qualities will delight a section of brainwashed fans who believe that huff-and-puff endeavour is more important than actually scoring/creating goals on a regular basis.

Author: Jaimie K


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