The summer transfer season is in full swing, and at Liverpool FC, that means bringing in some new offensive talent. As Danny Ings signs for Liverpool we take a look at credentials. Ings is a 22-year-old striker from English club Burnley, he is one of Liverpool's first signings of the summer, but surely won't be the last striker headed to Anfield for the 2015 2016 season. The Reds struggled with clear offensive deficiency in 2014 2015, and the young Ings-who had a strong season at Burnley, in spite of his club's ultimate relegation-could help the football club to return to the heights of their 2013 2014 campaign.
Liverpool's Scoring Struggles
In 2014 2015, things were much different. An injury kept Sturridge on the bench for much of the season (he ended the year with only four league goals to his name), and Suarez transferred to Barcelona to play football alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar. In other words, the Reds lost their two best soccer players.
The result was a 53-goal total for the entire Premier League campaign-exactly the number that Suarez and Sturridge netted by themselves a year earlier, and just over half the 2013 2014 total. The team's top scorer was aging captain Steven Gerrard, tallying just nine points, while Raheem Sterling (7) and Jordan Henderson (6) rounded out the top three. Meanwhile Mario Balotelli the club's big hope to replace Suarez bombed completely, only scoring a single goal in Premier League play.
New Offensive Talent
Needless to say, summer 2015 will be all about rebuilding the offensive game at Anfield. With Gerrard leaving Liverpool after 17 seasons, and with Raheem Sterling's future at the club the subject of much speculation, the Reds have no choice but to look forward instead of gazing back at the successes of 2013 2014.
James Milner (a midfielder transferring in from Manchester City) and Danny Ings are the first two pieces of that particular puzzle. Milner scored five goals and provided seven assists in 32 league appearances at Man City last season. Ings, meanwhile, scored 11 goals for Burnley in 2014 2015.
Milner will likely serve as Gerrard's replacement in the midfield-a tall order to be sure, but one that the 29-year-old Premier League veteran should be able to pull off. However, Ings is the club's bid to develop a potential superstar at Anfield. At 22 years old, Ings likely has his best years ahead of him.
Ings is also coming off two breakout seasons at Burnley. In 2013 2014, he scored 21 goals to help his football club secure promotion out of the Championship. 2014 2015, meanwhile, was his first season in the Premier League. Despite his team's 19th place finish in the division, Ings ended up tied as the league's 13th most prolific scorer. Expect him to improve even further once he trades his Burnley jersey for the Liverpool home shirt 2015 2016; he does, after all, need to get used to the loftier pressures of the Premier division.
Other Potential Signings
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers won't stop there in his search for summer transfers. His forwards (including Sturridge, Balotelli, Rickie Lambert, Fabio Borini, and Lazar Markovic) scored a grand total of 10 goals between them in 2014 2015. And while it's good to have midfielders like Gerrard and Sterling who can get on the board, Rodgers needs dedicated scorers more than anything.
Ings will hopefully be just that: a dedicated scorer. The same could be said about Christian Benteke, who scored 13 goals at Aston Villa this past season. Rumor has it that Rodgers is looking to sign Benteke this season as another piece of his new offense. However, rumors also indicate that Rodgers has a limited budget this summer, and would have to sell a high-profile player-Raheem Sterling, for instance-to be able to afford Benteke.
Whatever happens, Danny Ings and James Milner represent the start of a new era at Anfield. Pick up a new Liverpool football shirt from Soccer Box to celebrate their arrival at the football club, and watch our social media profiles for additional transfer rumors and updates. Soccer Box is active on, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and LinkedIn as well as other popular social networks.
