Famously refusing to leave West Ham despite the management’s best efforts to move him on, one West Ham first team player is eyeing up a return to his old employer this summer when his lucrative Hammers deal – finally – comes to an end.
Danny Ings’ £120k a week contract will end at the conclusion of this season and he’ll not be getting an extension: Five goals in sixty eight appearances isn’t anything to write home about and Ings was overlooked even when he was the only fit striker at the club, with Jarrod Bowen standing in for the injured Fullkrug and Antonio leaving the former Liverpool striker a bench – sitting spectator.
Ings has been the subject of much unfair press – you cannot blame the guy for making West Ham stick to the contract he signed: He has been extraordinarily well remunerated but that was West Ham’s chosen deal when he joined in 2023.
Ings in his pre-west ham days
Apparently, according to todays Daily Mirror, Ings will be headed back to Southampton, one of his previous employers, when his West Ham deal concludes.
Southampton reportedly see Ings as still having a role to fill at St Marys- in the Championship, presumably. The end of his West Ham contract will remove a huge chunk of cash from the wage bill – unlikely any replacement will earn anything like Ings’ salary: Evan Ferguson, for instance, is currently on less than 20% of Ings weekly pay.
Another failed signing, hopefully West Ham will learn to choose players that suit their system in future rather than just buying on a whim.
1 out and maybe 2 in.
KWP and Dibbling?
Wasn’t he a Sullivan panic buy ? I think I’m remembering correctly, another one of the ‘Decisions’.
I honestly thought Ings was a fairly shrewd bit of business when we signed him.
Was “only” £12m going to £15m if we avoided relegation and he was a relatively proven PL striker. His time at Liverpool was ruined by injury but he seemed to be over that with a couple of great seasons at Southampton and at the time we signed him from Villa he was their top scorer that season up until then.
He’s just been mince for us though. He’s apparently really popular with the lads (the post match on-pitch interview where we discovered him and Paqueta are good friends was surprising) so wish him all the best but won’t be sad to see him go… especially with the fact he’ll be clearing £500k+ a month off the wage bill.
I was frustrated when they purchased him, but Ings did everything that was asked of him so can only wish him the best going forward.