EDDIE Howe hopes the imminent signing of Bournemouth forward Danny Ings will provide a much-needed lift.

The Clarets boss has called on fans to help the Burnley squad through a difficult period for the club.

The Clarets have taken just one point from their first two league games after slipping to a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace at the weekend.

Howe said he is working hard to bring in up to four players before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

Stoke defender Ryan Shotton is one of Burnley’s key targets but the first to arrive looks likely to be Ings after the Clarets confirmed that they had agreed a fee – understood to be around £1m after add-ons – with Howe’s former club Bournemouth for the 19-year-old.

Ings, who has been watched by Manchester City and was the subject of rejected bids from Fulham and Crystal Palace earlier in the summer, is due to be at Turf Moor today to discuss personal terms as Burnley hope to wrap up the deal quickly.

Howe knows his squad need to see new arrivals before Saturday’s home game against Cardiff and has also stressed the importance of everyone involved with the club remaining united after a difficult few days.

The Clarets boss said: “We’re delighted to get Danny if we do finalise the transfer. I think it’s a much needed boost.

“You plan and you get things in place, and obviously those plans have changed.

“But you have to roll with it, it’s no good me whining or making excuses, we have to accept it and build a new squad.

“We’re in transition and I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

“I think people have to be realistic, we’ve lost a lot of players and we haven’t added many new ones.

"It’s going to be a period where we need to stick together as a club.

“My plans are long-term, I’m looking long-term and hopefully everyone will stick with us and we can come through this and out the other side.

“The problem with the summer we’ve had is that the players we have here have just seen players leaving.

“I think that’s incredibly difficult, right on the start of a new season, for the players to mentally accept that and to think that we’re going to be successful this year when players are leaving.

“So now we need to get some incomers quickly and try to lift the squad, because it’s been a tough few days.”

Ings, who can also play in midfield, scored eight goals last season after breaking into the Bournemouth first team in Howe’s final month at the club.

Burnley are also understood to be attempting to seal a deal of around £1m for 22-year-old Shotton, despite reported competition from Ipswich and Derby.

There have been some suggestions that Stoke may prefer a season-long loan deal for the versatile defender, though, and an injury to Rory Delap could potentially complicate matters.

Shotton was introduced as a late substitute against Chelsea yesterday to provide the long throws that are pivotal to the Potters' game.

Speaking generally on transfers, Howe said: “Things are progressing but they need to hopefully fall into place this week.

“Danny (Ings) is a very talented lad, he’s still very young, he’s only just 19.

“He broke into the Bournemouth team last year when I was still manager and everyone felt for a long time that Danny was potentially one of the best to have come through in recent times, and that says a lot with the quality that’s come through from Bournemouth.

“I think he’ll do well for us. The possibilities are endless really for Danny at the moment.

“He’s still learning the game obviously, he’s still got to develop physically and in all areas of his game.

“But he has the raw ingredients I think to play top level.”

Click on the link below for Bournemouth fans' views on Danny Ings on the Echo website.