Southampton legend Francis Benali has expressed his concern at the possible summer exit of forward Danny Ings.
Benali admits that he is worried about Ings leaving, with Southampton having a history of selling stars who perform well in the Premier League.
Speaking to Sky Sports News (16/03/20 at 14:25 pm), Benali said:
It’s always been a case of keeping him (Ings) fit and keeping him on the pitch. He is doing that now, he’s looking after himself extremely well and that confidence is there for everyone to see. The goals that he scores. He has to be in the England frame.
That is always the concern. Anyone who has played well, it is a worry [that he’ll leave] and history shows that [for Southampton]. Quite rightly. I think anybody that performs well, at any club really, at Man City or Liverpool, if they are catching the eye then there will be other clubs interested in signing players.
Southampton need to keep hold of Ings at all costs this summer if they want to progress as a club. If Southampton want to make a push for the European places and establish themselves as a top-seven or top-eight side, keeping Ings could be key.
He is a proven goalscorer in the Premier League and has been exceptional for Southampton throughout the current campaign. Ings has scored 15 Premier League goals and the Saints, who are 14th, would be in the bottom three if you chalked off his strikes. This illustrates just how important Ings is to this Southampton side and why they need to build around him, rather than selling him to a top-six side.
Southampton should try to sign players to bolster their squad that complement Ings, in order to build a squad capable of progressing. If they are able to do this, then they could then stand a better chance of keeping players in the future as it could show how ambitious they are as a club.
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