As Danny Ings turned 26 years old on Monday, we at Football FanCast decided to take a look at four strikers who are on the fringes of their clubs but would easily bag double figures if they took the plunge and signed for a side lower down the Premier League.
It seems as though the gap between the big six clubs and the rest of the Premier League has never been bigger, with Burnley finishing closest last season despite being a full nine points behind Chelsea.
The financial pulling power and the attraction of European football has allowed the big clubs to stockpile the best players in the country and some of those are happy to warm the bench and pick up a pay packet.
This is not the case for Ings. According to Mirror Football, the Englishman is one of eight Liverpool players who could leave the club this summer following three injury hit years at Anfield.
Here we’ve profiled Ings and three other strikers who would surely hit double figures were they to get enough minutes under their belts next season.
Danny Ings
Although he is valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, Mirror Football report that Liverpool want £20m for the former Burnley man and that Newcastle, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Southampton are all interested.
The now 26-year-old is a proven goalscorer, having netted 43 times in 130 games during his time at Turf Moor, including 11 in the Premier League in 2014/15.
The time is surely now right for the Englishman to leave Anfield as Roberto Firmino is the Reds’ nailed on first choice and youngster Dominic Solanke continues to be used as backup. Liverpool fans will be sad to see Ings go, but there is no doubt that if he avoids injury he will hit double figures again in the top flight.
Michy Batshuayi
Batshuayi joined Chelsea for £33m from Marseille in the summer of 2016, but was never given a proper run in the starting line up at Stamford Bridge under former boss Antonio Conte.
The Belgian international is an unorthodox striker who struggles in open play but has a knack of popping-up in the box at the right time, which has given him an impressive goalscoring record – including eight goals in 19 games for his country.
Now 24 years old, Batshuayi was shipped out on loan to Borussia Dortmund in January to make way for Olivier Giroud. However, after scoring seven goals in just 10 games in the Bundesliga before his season was cut short by injury it is clear that he should be starting matches.
Valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, he may be expensive but he could be worth a gamble for teams such as Everton or Leicester in their hope to regain European football.
Fernando Llorente
According to the Evening Standard, Llorente is on the transfer list at Spurs this season alongside fellow striker Vincent Janssen. Clearly, Janssen has not done enough to justify a place on this list after netting just twice in the 2016/17 Premier League season.
Despite being 33 years old though, Llorente would certainly be worth a gamble for a club lower down the Premier League. Spurs parted with almost £15m to sign the 6ft 4in Spaniard last summer but he has failed to produce as back-up to Harry Kane, with just one goal in 16 Premier League appearances for the North London club.
The season before however, Llorente bagged 15 league goals for Swansea to prove that he could get double figures in England’s top flight.
Divock Origi
Now 23 years old, Origi joined Liverpool off the back of an impressive breakthrough in Belgium’s 2014 World Cup campaign and eventually linked up with the Reds in 2015 following a loan back to his former club Lille.
He has since played 77 times for the Merseyside club, scoring 21 goals and also netting seven times while on loan at Wolfsburg in Germany last season.
Mirror Football claim that Valencia are interested in Origi, but clubs lower down the Premier League with the resources to match Liverpool’s £26million valuation should certainly be tempted by the powerful and pacy striker.
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