Wants to give the English within a send-off (5)
I believe the answer is:
needs
'wants' is the definition.
('need' can be a synonym of 'want')
'the english within a send-off' is the wordplay.
'the english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'within' indicates putting letters inside.
'off' indicates an anagram.
'send' with letters rearranged gives 'neds'.
'e' put into 'neds' is 'NEEDS'.
'to give' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for needs that I've seen before include "Demands" , "Requires, is in want of" , "Can't do without" , "Misses" , "Necessities" .)