Nocturnal 
Danny Ings is swapping the Championship for League One, and he could be thrown straight into action this weekend.
The 34-year-old former England striker has signed for Wycombe Wanderers as a free agent, the club confirmed on their official website. He’s been without a club since leaving Sheffield United over the summer, and had previously been linked with a move to Leicester City, as first reported by Talksport.
Instead, it’s Wycombe who have won the race for his signature. And remarkably, he could make his debut in Saturday’s League One clash against Reading at Adams Park.
Who is Danny Ings?
Ings is one of the more decorated names to drop into League One in recent memory. Across his career he’s turned out for Burnley, Southampton, West Ham, Aston Villa and Liverpool, racking up 240 top-flight appearances with Burnley alone.
He’s scored more than 120 professional goals and even found the net for England, netting in a friendly against Wales back in 2020.
Sheffield United signed Ings on a one-year deal in August last year, but with that contract now expired, he’s been a free agent looking for his next move. According to Wycombe, he trained with the Chairboys for a week before officially putting pen to paper on Friday morning.
“Former England international Danny Ings has joined Wycombe Wanderers,” the club said in a statement. They confirmed his move is “subject to EFL and FA approval” and that he’ll wear the number 28 shirt.
Wycombe’s Director of Football Strategy and Data Intelligence, Tom Stockwell, was full of praise for the new arrival.
“Danny is an attacking player with top quality and a huge amount of experience at the top of the game. We believe Danny can help the team on and off the pitch,” Stockwell said.
He added that Ings has been training with the squad since joining up last Friday, saying the club knows “he’s fit and sharp, and ready to have an immediate impact.”
Reading fixture goes ahead despite call-ups
There was a bit of drama surrounding Saturday’s fixture before Ings even entered the picture. Reading had three players called up for international duty this month: Andy Rinomhota (Zimbabwe), Jeriel Dorsett (Montserrat) and Charlie Savage (Wales).
Under EFL rules, clubs can request a postponement if three or more players are away on international duty. Reading had that option, but chose not to use it.
“We considered the circumstances carefully and, on this occasion, felt it was right to play the game,” said Reading head coach Leam Richardson. “Football is a squad game and we have confidence in the players available to us.”
Richardson also pointed out that keeping the fixture in place avoids squeezing in another game later in a congested schedule, adding that “Saturday afternoon is the ideal time to play football whenever circumstances allow.”
What happens now
Pending the usual EFL and FA sign-off, Ings is in line to make his Wycombe bow against Reading this weekend. It’s a striking move for a player with his top-flight pedigree, and Wycombe fans will be hoping his experience helps fire them up the League One table.
