Crystal Palace should have signed Danny Ings at Selhurst Park during the January transfer window, Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor has suggested to GIVEMESPORT.
The Eagles find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle, having replaced head coach Patrick Vieira with former manager Roy Hodgson this week.
Crystal Palace news – Danny Ings
Despite requiring another genuine centre-forward option at Selhurst Park, Palace were unable to secure the addition of an experienced number nine during the January transfer window.
Instead, the south London outfit plumped for the acquisitions of midfielders Naouirou Ahamada and Albert Sambi Lokonga from VfB Stuttgart and Arsenal respectively.
Meanwhile, their cross-city rivals at West Ham United splashed out £15m to secure the services of 30-year-old striker Danny Ings from Aston Villa, a forward who has consistently proved capable of scoring goals in the top-flight regularly.
It’s a player that Taylor has already told GIVEMESPORT he believes could have taken Palace to the next level in a previous interview but the marksman didn’t fit in with the club’s philosophy of signing young players with high potential.
And the journalist suggests Ings would have been able to bag the five goals that could be the difference between Palace retaining their Premier League status or dropping into the Championship.
What has Taylor said about Crystal Palace and Ings?
Taylor told GIVEMESPORT: “I think someone like Danny Ings would have been brilliant for Palace because he would have got you those five goals that can be the difference.”
What next for Crystal Palace and Ings?
Ings – who has previously been described as a “phenomenal finisher” by pundit Noel Whelan – has already hit the back of the net eight times across a combined 25 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa and West Ham this season, indicating that he is comfortable at this level of football.
Meanwhile, Palace’s top goal scorer in Wilfried Zaha has hit the back of the net six times this term, with Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze making up the top three with five and four strikes respectively.
This would suggest that the Eagles could have benefited from Ings’ goalscoring nous, and the former Southampton star would likely have provided Hodgson’s side with the goals required to keep afloat in the top flight this term.
Therefore, it’s clear to see why Taylor believes that the experienced marksman would have been a “brilliant” signing for Palace, and the capital club could be rueing the decision to not make a move on the centre-forward come the end of the season.