We must look at the fact that Ings is only going to cost the club the development fee and not a hefty transfer cost. This, and the arrival of James Milner on a similar deal, strengthens the club’s finances and also bodes well for the coming weeks.
The speculation is that these two free deals will make available large sums of cash for big spending moves for top players. This should excite Liverpool fans as both Ings and Milner are proven Premier League players and there is a distinct possibility of signings to come.
Last season, Ings led the line in an abject Burnley side clearly not cut out for the top-flight. He performed extremely well, earning plaudits from many and scorimg 11 goals in the league (which was 39% of Burnley’s goals last season).
From a fan’s perspective this should excite, he scored seven goals more than Balotelli, Lambert and Borini combined with far less service. His move to Liverpool will see him link up with the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge, players of a far higher calibre than those he has been exposed to ever before and therefore he should continue to perform and improve. If he can match his goals tally in the coming season, he will have been an excellent signing.
He fits in with how Brendan Rodgers wants his Liverpool side to play too. His work ethic is superb, something the team lacked last season. His willingness to run all over the pitch without the ball shows what a team player he is and this should win admirers on the Kop.
Hopefully when he isn’t scoring goals he will be pressuring the defenders or holding midfielders into making the mistake that leads to a goal. Too often in modern football strikers are content to stand on the half way line and wait for the ball, as soon as they lose it winning it back is not their problem – as we found with Mario Balotelli last season. Ings is a rare-breed that relishes winning the ball back and Liverpool fans should enjoy his style as they look to get back to the standards of the season before last where Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge ran all over the place after the ball.
His age is vital to his signing, at 22-years-old he has another 15 years of top level football ahead of him. He showed the world glimpses of what he could do last season, including a goal at Old Trafford, but still has amazing potential yet to be unlocked. At Anfield he has a brilliant opportunity to work with a coach who has found talent before in Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers signed Coutinho when he was surplus to requirements at Inter Milan and has since turned him into one of the best players in Europe. Whilst Ings plays further up the field, Rodgers will still be hoping he can extract every last bit of class out of him in the Red shirt.
He may not be an instant hit on the field but at 22 he should and will be given time at the club to succeed. I am a great believer in the young talent in English football and the recent rise of Jordan Ibe at Liverpool and the likes of Harry Kane at Spurs just shows that they have what it takes, let’s hope Ings proves a hit.
