Danny Ings has been an enigma this season. Injury apart and he did miss a few games recently, he has still not managed to get on the score sheet but then again none of our recognised strike force have been able to find the back of the net this season with the Juke, Sordell and Barnes all drawing blanks! What is the problem and why have we been unable to take our chances?
Is Danny Ings finding Premier League life difficult or is he missing his strike partner of last season, Sam Vokes? He scored 26 goals last season at Championship level so you would have expected at least one in the Premier by now! Either way or for whatever reason the goals have dried up. I heard one Burnley fan behind me at the West Ham game say he reckoned we should have sold Ings in the summer and he was certainly giving Ings a hard time throughout the game saying he was useless at this level. Surely that must be a minority view, I certainly hope so. All strikers go through these goal droughts but I have to admit it seems odd that all four of our recognised strikers are suffering the same fate. Does that suggest the problem lies more with the playmakers and those creating the chances? Trippier for a time earlier in the season seemed to be holding back and not getting forward as much but recently his trademark crosses have once again become the norm. For a time we did suffer injuries in centre midfield with both David Jones and Dean Marney sidelined and that meant with no other alternative, that Scott Arfield had to be taken off the wing to play in the centre. Have we been missing his wing-play? The trouble is these situations have not been consistent throughout the season over the eight games played so it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons for the lack of goals, especially from the usually prolific Ings.
Despite the less than impressive performance this season from Ings, Premier League clubs are reportedly still sniffing around to sign the England Under 21 international and it could once again be a bum-squeaky time for Clarets fans once the January window opens although in this case the clubs might be more inclined to wait until the summer when they could get him at a dropdown price.
According to media reports the 22 year old could be a target for Newcastle, Aston Villa and Stoke What are Burnley doing about it? Well according to Sean Dyche they have been trying to tie him down to a new contract for some time. His current contract runs out at the end of the season.
Dyche said recently:
“We`ve always been speaking to him and his agent. That`s been going on for months.”
The gaffer also offered a general opinion as to why our strike force is struggling to score goals:
“We`ve found goals hard to come by. We didn`t find that last season but you have to remember we`ve gone up a level.
“We`re creating chances but not enough quality chances.
“It takes the weight off people when you`re scoring goals.
“There`s no guarantee that when you score one, you`ll get five but it opens the mind slightly and relaxes people when people are scoring goals.
“There`s a thirst to score goals but we`ve got to make it a reality.”
If Ings continues to fail to find the back of the net by Christmas will his suitors from the top flight still be interested and conversely would Burnley fans be that bothered if he left if we used the money wisely and fully to bring in a recognised, proven effective striker or two at this level? The other big question mark here is the return of Sam Vokes. There is no doubt the VINGS partnership last season was crucial to our success and perhaps that is one of the main reasons why Ings has not been firing on all cylinders this season. Does he need his strike buddy and that special understanding they developed? What impact would playing both strikers in the team have on our goal scoring chances at this level? Vokes could be available over the Christmas period and I would certainly like to see how the pair performs together in the top flight before making a judgement.
The trouble is we might not get chance to find out if the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa and Stoke start sniffing about. Interestingly though since Ings is under the age of 23 under the Bosman ruling Burnley would be entitled to compensation reportedly up to £3 million if he left the club. Some reports suggest he is ready to see out his contract and keep his options open for now and make a decision on his future at the end of the campaign. At least therefore we would have him for the rest of the season and would not have to lose him on a free transfer in the summer but we would certainly not get the money for him he is actually worth. Ings was bought from Bournemouth for £1m in 2011 and is valued at £10m by the Turf Moor hierarchy according to the media. All very interesting but what do you think about Ings? Would you not be too upset to see him go or do you think he still has great potential at this level and will soon start hitting the back of the net? Provide your views and comments below this article.
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