This season has been a breakthrough for both Charlie Austin and Danny Ings in their debut campaigns in the top flight. However neither were able to prevent their side from getting relegated, thus both will be on the move this summer with Premier League football crucial in their future developments. There is plenty of interest in both and given their homegrown status, it isn’t surprising that a lot of top flight sides are looking at the pair.
Ings is leaving Burnley as a free agent with compensation fixed at around the £7m mark. Although there have been rumours that Tottenham are preparing a £12m bid to steal a march on their rivals. Burnley were a hard working side, who added a lot to the league in their short stay with their passion and fight noticeable in every match. However, they lacked the quality to get enough points to stay in the division with only a few of their players looking good enough for the Premier League. Ings is one of those and another, Kieran Trippier has also been linked with a move away.
The Burnley forward managed to score 11 goals and get 4 assists in 35 matches. This is an excellent return given he was playing in a team who struggled to score goals throughout the campaign. His tireless running and ability to take the ball past opposition players led to him being linked to an England call up and with a move to the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham. He is also effective at attacking crosses with his head as he showed a number of times throughout the season. At just 22 years old, the striker has plenty of years ahead of him and he has the attributes to become a fine Premier League and England centre forward.
Meanwhile, Charlie Austin will cost a lot of money this summer, but it looks inevitable that a club will pay what is required to land the forward. It has been an incredible rise for Austin as he was only playing in non league in 2009. He has been linked to a number of clubs including Liverpool, Everton and Newcastle United. The latter is the most intriguing of the three as Newcastle are changing their approach to target more English players. Austin could arrive at the club famous for their strikers and it could be the perfect platform for the forward to write his name in the history books.
For QPR this season, Austin had an impressive record in front of goal, finding the net 18 times in 35 matches which is a much better strike rate than Ings. Meanwhile, he also managed to get five assists. Austin operated as a classic English forward as he was dangerous in the air and when he had the opportunity to finish with his feet. His hold up play was excellent and his performances were diminished due to the lack of effort around him. His game is suited to the Premier League and he will be a brilliant signing for somebody this summer.
Both of these two players need to be playing Premier League football which means a move this summer is required. Charlie Austin has already found his way into the England squad, while Danny Ings isn’t to far away. Both players are young with a number of years ahead of them and as English players, they offer a rare opportunity to clubs to purchase a homegrown player capable of fitting straight into the first team squad for a reasonable fee. Tottenham looks the most likely destination for Danny Ings, but the race for Charlie Austin is still ongoing and nobody looks to be favourite as yet.
