by C-R » Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:44 am
This news regarding Danny Ings is breaking and gathering pace with a few reporting it.....
Tony Barrett, Tim Abraham
Published 1 minute ago
Liverpool want to sign Danny Ings before the transfer window closes and are willing to loan
him back to Burnley for the rest of the season to get the deal done.
Ings has entered the final six months of his
contract and is attracting interest from a number of
clubs, most notably Tottenham Hotspur and Real Sociedad, but Burnley are determined to
keep the forward beyond next Monday’s deadline.
Rather than wait until the summer, Liverpool want to conclude a dea
l now. Brendan Rodgers
wants to bolster his attack as a result of Daniel Sturridge’s injury problems and the failure of
Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini to convince. The Liverpool manager views
Ings as a player of potential, but also one wh
o could provide genuine competition for places
next season.
Liverpool are hoping that the prospect of agreeing a fee for Ings will appeal to Burnley, given
that they will be entitled only to a compensation payment should the 22
-
year
-
old wait until his
cont
ract has expired to agree to a move.
Sturridge will be in the squad for the Barclays Premier League match at home against West
Ham United tomorrow after a five
-
month layoff with calf and thigh problems.
After a disappointing run of results in Sturridge’s a
bsence, Rodgers reverted to a 3
-
4
-
3
formation, or a slight variant, which brought a marked improvement in performance levels
and results.
Liverpool’s progress with the system has often been without a traditional striker, with
Raheem Sterling utilised in a
central role while Lambert, Balotelli and Borini have largely
been restricted to impact roles from the bench.
However, the Liverpool manager has few doubts about Sturridge’s ability to fit quickly into
the way Liverpool now play. “Daniel will bring somethi
ng really creative,” Rodgers said.
“Then it’s a case of managing in behind that.
The system does not have to change. It’s there
and the players are there if we have to do it.
“We are very much built around the collective, but it doesn’t half help when you
have
someone to finish it off at the top end of the field, and have that power and pace that Daniel
has.”
Rodgers believes that if Sturridge had been available all season, Liverpool would have a place
in the top four, rather than be challenging for one in
eighth position. “No question,” Rodgers
said. “It’s had a huge impact. The team struggled for a few months, but thankfully we’ve
nailed down a way of working and returned to our ideals.”
After such a long spell out injured, Liverpool appear most likely to
include the England
forward among the substitutes tomorrow. Sturridge, 25, said: “It has been very frustrating, but
it has been a learning curve.
“They have allowed me to learn something new, and for me being on the sidelines has been
great for the mental
side of the game. I have improved that and now I am very, very anxious
to get out there and play.”