Southampton: Ings new contract to make him highest-paid player at club

Southampton striker Danny Ings is set to sign a new contract with the club to make him the club’s highest-paid current player.

According to journalist Alex Crook – reporting for both talkSPORT and the Daily Express (10th December 2020, pg 62) – a breakthrough in talks mean that an agreement between Saints and their star man is close.

Crook also confirms that full-back and important senior player Ryan Bertrand is also close to signing new terms to commit his future to St Mary’s too.

If an official announcement comes soon, it will be a huge moment for the club and will be a real statement of intent given that they were willing to commit a significant wage to keep Ings tied down.

A strict wage structure in the past has limited Saints’ ability to hold onto their best assets but Ings’ situation has potentially changed that and pushed the club into a strong position.

The specific details of Ings’ contract are unclear and it is perhaps not our business as fans to know. However, figures of £70,000-£80,000 per week have been mentioned as wages for highest-earning players in the past.

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Crucially, an improved contract also increases a player’s value and may help to ward off some threats of a move to another club in the near future.

Interest has already been registered in Ings in the past. Spurs were said to have made an approach to sign him from Saints back in the summer but saw their attempts rebuffed almost immediately.

The 28-year-old’s form since the beginning of the 2019/20 season has caught the eye and he is enjoying his best senior spell at a club in his career so far at the moment.

76 games for Saints so far have seen Ings score no less than 39 goals. He needs just four more in red and white to eclipse the 43 he bagged for Burnley in 130 appearances.

There is no doubting that he fits superbly well into Ralph Hasenhuttl’s style of play and this is perhaps something that has played a part in him committing his future.

The form that he has shown in a highly-achieving team has also seen him deservedly break into the England squad. Carry on and he will be in with a huge chance to go be in the Three Lions’ squad for Euro 2020/2021.