Aston Villa manager Unai Emery enjoyed his first transfer window in charge of the club last month after replacing Steven Gerrard in the dugout.
The Spanish head coach, whilst working alongside Johan Lange, made two additions to his first-team squad by snapping up striker Jhon Duran and left-back Alex Moreno to bolster his side.
He also made a big call by allowing centre-forward Danny Ings to sign for Premier League rivals West Ham United, which left Ollie Watkins as the club’s only senior option in that position.
How did Danny Ings perform at Aston Villa?
It was the end of an underwhelming spell for the former England international at Villa Park following his move to the club from Southampton in the summer of 2021.
Ex-manager Dean Smith brought him in on a three-year contract in a deal reportedly worth £25m, after the gem had scored 34 top-flight goals for the Saints in 2020/21 and 2019/20 combined, but it turned out to be a blunder by the English coach.
At the time of the move, the then-Villans boss said: “Danny is an outstanding Premier League footballer who has scored goals wherever he has played.”
The forward, who was once described as “dangerous” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, came in as a prolific scorer in the division for Southampton and arrived for a significant fee.
However, the 30-year-old found goals hard to come by at times in his first season with Villa and ended the campaign with seven strikes in 30 Premier League appearances – starting 22 of those matches.
The attacker’s form did perk up slightly in the current campaign, however, as Ings scored six times in 18 games for the club prior to departing in January, although that was not enough to convince Emery that the dud had a long-term future in his squad.
13 goals in 48 matches is unlikely to be what Smith, or the club, expected the Englishman to produce after his terrific form for Southampton in the division, which is why the marksman was underwhelming, despite having a decent record in front of goal, for the Villans.
Villa reportedly raked in a fee of just £12m, potentially rising to £15m, from West Ham United last month, meaning that the striker’s value plummeted by at least £10m, and at most £13m, in just 18 months of league football.
The striker’s zero goals or assists in four Premier League appearances for the Hammers since making the move also suggests that Emery, as it stands, made the right call by cashing in on him.
Overall, Smith’s decision to bring him in for £25m was a big howler for the club as Ings struggled to replicate his Southampton form for Villa and left for a considerably lower fee less than two years later.