Darren Bent has stated that he expects Tottenham Hotspur to go for Danny Ings in the summer rather than making Carlos Vinicius’ loan deal permanent but warned the Southampton star that he might struggle for game time at Spurs.
Vinicius has shown his quality when opportunities have come his way but the Brazilian has not been used much by Jose Mourinho in the Premier League.
Spurs have the option to sign the striker permanently from Benfica for £40.9m at the end of his loan spell.
Reports have indicated that the North London club are also exploring the possibility of signing Ings in the summer, with the England international stalling on signing a new deal at the St Mary’s.
However, Southampton CEO Martin Semmens has insisted that the 28-year-old is happy at the South Coast club.
Bent believes that the Saints star could be signed on a potential cut-price in the summer but warned him against making a move to Spurs.
The former Tottenham striker told Football Insider: “Vinicius has been good since he’s been there, he has stepped up in games where Harry Kane’s been out and he scored goals in the Europa and League Cup and FA Cup and things like that.
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“To pay £40million for him, I’m not quite sure. I mean I’m not quite sure how much Danny Ings is going to cost but obviously, he’s got less time on his contract so I think I’d say less.
“I think Spurs are in a good position here because they can bring Vinicius in permanently, though I do think £40million is a lot and now they’ve shown concrete interest in Danny Ings.
“It comes down to Danny Ings because I’m pretty sure Danny Ings is getting to a point he’s 28, where he’s been playing regular football, he seems to be over the worst of his injuries, he’s in the England squad.
“The fact is that if it goes somewhere like Spurs and his minutes dry up, all this will be taken away. If he’s getting 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there, he’s not going to have the same impact as all.”
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Even if Ings is to sign a new contract, reports seem to indicate that it will likely have a release clause. It will be difficult to snap up Ings as a whole host of clubs will likely show interest if he becomes available.
However, if we do somehow manage to get him, I believe the 28-year-old will get plenty of game time. Not only will he lead the line in cup matches and European games but he can also play with Kane if required.
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