Stop being so sensible! Danny is a Saint through and through. We should just throw more and more money at him until he signs.
I will be ecstatic if Danny stays, but I'm not too pleased with him playing the field after returning here with a fanfare (although I do understand from a financial POV).
If the money isn’t in the budget, it doesn’t matter what we think he’s worth in comparison to another player. The clubs that are likely interested in him can and would pay him more than we can. That is just the reality of the situation. He can go and get whatever contract he wants at one of those regular top six teams. I’d like him to stay, but there’s absolutely a possibility that it just isn’t an option. We are 15th in the wage bill table and when you get to about 6th or 7th there is an enormous gap. Danny Ings being an important player for us is not going to result in us competing with all those other teams in salary spend. If we were, we’d be a lot less apprehensive about replacing him! Like Archers said, Spurs would certainly want him and arguably they have been desperate for another out and out striker for years now. Whenever Kane gets injured from playing entirely too many games every year you can see that team just deflate like a wet balloon! He might choose to take our best offer and stay, or he might decide it’s in his best interests to move and sign a bigger deal at another club. Saints have made him an offer and will continue to try and negotiate. All we can do is wait for him to make a choice. He has until summer. If by June he hasn’t signed, the club pretty much has to sell to the best bidder. We’ll find another forward and life goes on. This isn’t exactly the first time this has happened. I feel like it’s an annual occurrence!
Have to say I'd be very disappointed in him if he didn't sign. If only to make sure we get a decent fee.
I think Ralph is looking at it from two angles. If he signs a new contract because he wants to commit to staying here, then happy days. If he signs a new contract, so we can get a higher fee, should he get an offer too good to turn down, then happy days again. I remember Ralph making a comment about Timo Werner signing a new contract before signing for Chelsea, to help his old club out, so if the second option manifested, I wouldn’t be surprised. But for that to happen I think the club might have to agree a buy out clause. I don’t think his age is a concern, as Ralph has shown, with Walcott, that he IS prepared to use an older player
They play a formation with 1 striker and whilst Kane is there Ings would always be on the bench. Even if they did suddenly change to 2 up front (very unlikely) then you would likely need one of the 2 to be quicker than either Kane/Ings. He would only start league cup games and europa league away games in belarus.
I no longer care. I view all of our players and our manager as transitory. Here today. Gone tomorrow.
It’s a healthy attitude for sure but in reality, stability at the top is key to success. So I’m more worried about any change at Gao / Semmens / Hasenhuttl level than losing Danny. That said, I’m a tad more optimistic about Ings re-signing having listened to the presser part 2.