Stan Collymore predicts how Aston Villa will line up after Danny Ings signing

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Stan Collymore has drawn up his prediction of how Aston Villa are going to line up following the signing of centre-forward Danny Ings.

The Midlands club shocked everyone on Wednesday by announcing the capture of Ings from Premier League rivals Southampton. Sky Sports claim the deal is worth £25million.

For Villa, they are signing someone who’s proven he’s clinical in front of net.

The 29-year-old English striker was a talisman at St Mary’s, so is a huge loss to them. He scored 46 goals in 100 appearances for the Saints.

Villa captain Jack Grealish is being heavily linked with a transfer to Manchester City, with the Guardian saying a £100million deal is close. However, that could still leave Villa manager Dean Smith with a headache about his starting XI in the new season.

Smith will have the likes of Ings, Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Anwar El Ghazi, Bertrand Traore and Emiliano Buendia all vying for starting positions.

Collymore is predicting that Ings is going to walk into the XI at Villa Park as the starting centre-forward in a lone role. That will see Ollie Watkins move across to a wide position, along with another summer signing in Bailey on the flank. He reckons there will also be room for new signing Buendia in a more central position behind the forward.

Aston Villa line up looks dynamite going forward

Grealish’s imminent exit is a crushing blow, but Villa fans must be excited about the team they are assembling for the new campaign. It’s arguably an upgrade even without their talisman.

The quartet of Ings, Buendia, Watkins and Bailey looks outrageous on paper. It’s unlikely to just click into gear overnight. Also, Traore and El Ghazi may still be key attackers under Smith.

It’s encouraging that the team’s backline almost picks itself. Firstly, Emiliano Martinez is the outstanding goalkeeper who had an amazing debut season. Secondly, they’ve got the reliable full-back pairing of Matty Cash and Matt Targett. Finally, the consistent centre-back partnership of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa.

In other news, Graham Roberts raves about ‘fantastic’ Tottenham star after pre-season display last night