Southampton news: "100%" verdict on Redmond and Djenepo emerges after £25m transfer deal | OneFootball

Journalist Tom Barclay reckons that Southampton players must step up in the absence of Danny Ings, but his departure could make them better as a team.

What happened with Danny Ings this summer?

Following months of uncertainty surrounding his future, the frontman finally ended his spell as a Southampton player when he joined Aston Villa in a £25m deal earlier this summer.

Ings had scored an impressive 46 times in 100 appearances for the Saints but opted to move on having entered the final 12 months of his St Mary's contract.

Southampton have made a decent start to the Premier League season despite being winless but are already missing Ings' goals having scored only four times in their five games.

The Saints have been free-scoring in the Carabao Cup, notably hitting Newport County for eight, but need to transform their cup success to the Premier League.

Barclay knows that Ings' goals will be difficult to replace but believes it could make Ralph Hasenhuttl's men become a better team overall.

What did Barclay say?

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He told GIVEMESPORT: "Because they can't rely on someone who's going to bang them in like Danny Ings did, so hopefully they can become an all-around better team."

Who could step up in Ings absence?

The obvious answer would be Adam Armstrong. But his Premier League career has only just got started, so it would be slightly harsh to pin too much pressure on him shoulders. He showed his finishing prowess at Everton on the opening day, but he's going to need time to find his feet.

Che Adams is yet to get off the mark this season, but has shown his capabilities with previous runs of scoring, although Southampton need far more than one or two chipping in.

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With Saints generally short of numbers up front, Hasenhuttl is going to need some of his other attacking players like Nathan Redmond, Moussa Djenepo and Theo Walcott to chip in and share the goalscoring responsibility around.

Southampton have shown recently that they're up for the task defensively, keeping clean sheets against both West Ham and Manchester City, but it's being prolific at the other end that's going to keep them above the relegation-zone.

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