Explained: Why Aston Villa agreed Danny Ings transfer despite Unai Emery declaration

Danny Ings joined Aston Villa for £25 million one-and-a-half years ago, but now his time at the club has come to and end.

The striker has started 30 Premier League matches in that time and netted 13 goals, which isn’t a bad record. Considering that he has scored nearly 70 goals in the English top-flight, it begs the question why Unai Emery would allow him to leave the club.

David Moyes’ side are currently in the bottom three and have only scored 15 goals all season – they view Ings as the man to lead them out of relegation trouble.

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Hammers boss Moyes has previously tried to sign Ings, but is yet to work with the former Liverpool ace. Having joined Villa for big money from Southampton in the summer of 2021, it might come as a surprise to some fans that Villa are willing to let him leave for nearly half the price they paid for him.

But the striker is set to enter the final year of his contract in the summer and will turn 31 before the start of the new season. This is Villa’s final opportunity to sell Ings for a decent transfer fee, before interested clubs have more power in negotiations.

Another relegation-threatened club, Everton, requested to take Ings on loan at the start of the transfer window, but that approach was pushed back by Villa. At the time, Villa boss Emery said Ings was an important member of his squad, but he understands that selling the forward could boost the transfer budget for more incomings following the arrivals of Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran.

Emery said: “Danny is a very good player in the first XI. Against Brighton he scored two goals and, usually, he gives impact. I’m really so happy with him.”

How do you rate Ings’ spell at Villa? Tell us in the comments section…

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