Danny Ings was meant to be a statement signing this summer for Leicester City.
Indeed, Ings has spent most of his career, in recent memory, in the Premier League, with a standout 74 goals next to his name from 240 appearances in the elite division.
It looked nailed on that Ings would link up with Russell Martin at the King Power, but while the expected signings of Alex McCarthy and Conor Chaplin went through, the £0 deal to win the three-time England international mysteriously fell to the wayside.
Ultimately, the move collapsed at the final hour, with Leicester perhaps having second thoughts, when you look at his concerning recent numbers, away from his Premier League hayday.
Scoring just two goals on the books of Sheffield United last season is the first of many drawbacks that saw the plug be pulled at the last second...
Why Leicester decided against signing Ings
It wasn't just last campaign, either, which saw Ings fail to live up to his previous free-flowing peak.
Across the last three seasons, the ageing striker has only managed to score a weak four goals from 57 total league matches, meaning he would've entered the Leicester ranks rusty and low on confidence, when everyone would be expecting him to be the main man.
On top of that, Ings - at this point in his long and winding career - is known for being suspectible to a long-term injury, so a further worry at the King Power would have been that Ings would fall victim to another horror injury, leaving Martin with a lack of options up top.
This may well sound harsh, but the 34-year-old is arguably a has-been at this point, despite his glowing reputation, in the past, for being an electric attacking presence at the very top of the English game.
To add context, his last double figure season in-front of goal came during the 2020/21 season, which wasn't exactly yesterday, as Leicester were competing in the Europa League, with the likes of James Maddison in their starting XI.
Since this last minute snag in the deal, Leicester have had their head turned by other targets such as Dom Ballard, who is certainly more potent than Ings in the here and now, having won the League One golden boot honour just last season.
While Ballard would be a top signing, going after this other £0 option could see the Foxes fall victim to an Ings-style blunder.
They could fall victim to an Ings blunder with this purchase
They managed to avoid picking up the goal-shy veteran at the last minute, but if they were to win Elijah Adebayo, they would be landing a very similar misfire.
Currently a free agent, after his Luton Town deal expired this summer, Adebayo was once a lethal marksman for the Hatters in the Premier League, like his ageing counterpart was for various clubs.
Despite Luton falling through the trapdoor of relegation at the close of the 2023/24 season, the one-time Walsall striker would exit the overall miserable campaign with his head held high, having powered home an impressive ten strikes from 27 Premier League clashes, with a unforgettable hat-trick even falling into his lap against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Yet, like Ings, he has worryingly deteriorated, after once being a hat-trick grabber, with only five goals collected across his last 43 Luton outings.
With 56 games missed across the last two seasons through recurring injury difficulties, a free transfer signing which, on the surface, looks promising could well be a dud, as a crocked, goal-shy figure arrives to the King Power.
Martin would likely love to try and restore Adebayo to his former glories if he were to sign, but with Leicester opting against signing Ings, this feels like strange next path to take when hunting down other recruits.
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