Marcus Bent urges Everton to sign Danny Ings this summer
Former Everton forward Marcus Bent has urged the Toffees to sign Southampton front man Danny Ings this summer.
The 28-year-old, despite having an injury-laden season, has hit double digits for goals and has also provided four assists in 25 league appearances.
He is yet to discuss a new contract at Southampton, with his contract expiring at the end of next season.
Thus, Everton will get a proven goal scorer who has been a consistent threat for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints side.
Now, Bent seems to have hopped on to the bandwagon as well and wants Everton to sign the England international.
In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, he said, “He’s 29 in the summer, he’s had a few injuries, but has been scoring goals and you want someone to come in and hit the ground running.
“I think it would be a good move for him and a good move for the club, but it would be down to the price tag.”
Worth a punt
While he may not have the best of injury records, he is a proven goal scorer in the Premier League and has been doing it for a number of seasons.
We’ve seen Carlo Ancelotti often play two up front and he could very easily share the mantle with compatriot Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison.
Both our preferred strikers are not likely to leave, but there have been some reports linking Calvert-Lewin with a move away from Goodison Park.
Should he or Richarlison part ways with the club, Ings could be the perfect replacement. With only a year left on his contract, he wouldn’t be as expensive as other strikers in the market.
Even his former manager Jurgen Klopp, who coached the player at Liverpool, has waxed lyrical about his performances at the St. Mary’s.
In early 2020, Klopp said, per the Liverpool Echo, “Seeing him now performing like this is wonderful. Really nice to see.
“The goals he scores are exceptional. That’s Ingsy. It feels still a little bit like he is ours but he is not.”
Ings is a player who can make something happen out of nothing – having outperformed his xG in the last two seasons.
Despite playing for a relatively lesser side he challenged the likes of Mohamed Salah, Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane for the golden boot last season, finishing with 22 goals from an xG of only 15.66.
With the creative players we have among our ranks he could easily finish with over 20 league goals next season provided he doesn’t miss out on too many games.
In other Everton news, Report: Toffees prepare £35m bid to sign ‘Phenomenal’ CL-winning attacking midfielder
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