Southampton are closing in on agreeing new contracts with the influential duo of Danny Ings and Ryan Bertrand which would see the pair commit their futures to the club ahead of the January window.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have got off to an excellent start to the campaign and are sitting in fifth place in the Premier League, being hailed as the ‘real deal’ by former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg. Both Ings and Bertrand have been integral to that success, with the pair providing Premier League experience and proven quality in their positions.
Ings has been a revelation since returning to St Mary’s on a permanent deal from Liverpool, with the forward having struck 22 goals last season and followed that up with six goals and two assists so far this term (Sofascore). Meanwhile, Bertrand has been a reliable performer at left-back, helping the Saints to three clean sheets and averaging 1.9 tackles and 0.9 key passes per game (Sofascore).
It has been reported that the duo are set to provide major boosts for the Saints, with an agreement from both players to new long-term deals close to being completed, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook. That means both players could potentially even sign before the January transfer window.
As I just revealed on @talkSPORT I understand Danny Ings and Ryan Bertrand are both close to agreeing their new deals with #SaintsFC an early Christmas 🎁
— Alex Crook ⚽️🎙 (@alex_crook) December 9, 2020
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This is excellent news for Southampton, with both Ings and Bertrand integral to Hasenhuttl’s side at the moment. The pair are likely to be instrumental in ensuring whether they can maintain their brilliant start to the season and challenge for a place in Europe come the end of the season.
Ings’ form since his return to the club has unsurprisingly seen him linked with moves away from St Mary’s, with Tottenham among the teams credited with an interest in the summer. However, he is playing arguably the best football of his career at the moment and is in with a strong chance of making the Euro 2020 squad with England, so Southampton is the best place for him right now.
Bertrand has been ever-reliable for the Saints who do not really have a backup to properly push him for his place in the team. Therefore, they cannot afford to let him leave, so tying him down for a few more years would give them the chance to potentially find a long-term successor.
