Is this it for free kick maestro James Ward-Prowse at Southampton?

In modern football, one-club players are virtually non-existent but James Ward-Prowse has gone against the gradient in his time at Southampton Football Club

James Ward-Prowse has been at Southampton since he was 6 years old, having joined the academy in 2003. For reference, fellow teammate Romeo Lavia had not even been born yet. Despite growing up in Portsmouth to a family of Portsmouth supporters, James-Ward Prowse has become what it means to be a Saint.

Southampton now finds themselves in last place in the Premier League and has been in a relegation spot for the majority of the season. According to Opta Analyst, the club has over a 90% of being relegated. The south-coast club has been in the Premier League since 2012 and now faces the drop. While players have come and gone over the last decade for Southampton, one player has remained, and that is James Ward-Prowse.

Ward-Prowse made his professional debut for the club in 2011 in the EFL Cup against Crystal Palace at just 16 years old. He is the 6th youngest debutant for Southampton ever, all competitions considered. In the same season, he scored his first goal for the club against Coventry City in the FA Cup. During this time Southampton was in the Championship but Ward-Prowse actually did not make his domestic league debut until the club was promoted to the Premier League in 2012.

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Ward-Prowse has played under 10 managers in his time at Southampton, with Ralph Hasenhuttl managing him for the most matches. Ward-Prowse also notably became captain of Southampton under Hasenhuttl after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg became uncommitted at the club in 2020.

James Ward-Prowse has become a legend for Southampton and now sits 11th all-time in total appearances, shortly after breaking the 400th appearance mark. There has been plenty of debate on whether or not James Ward-Prowse has been let down by the club this season. Scoring free-kicks for fun in recent memory, the captain has played a massive part in the club steering away from relegation over the last few seasons.

In fact, James Ward-Prowse sits second all-time in Premier League freekick goals and is just one way from tying David Beckham’s record. It is coming down to the wire but it would be quite special if he was able to do it in a Southampton shirt.

At this point, Southampton may very well need a miracle to stay up and all eyes will be turning to what happens to their captain, James Ward-Prowse. The likes of 90min Football have begun to link him to Newcastle United and Manchester United. There were rumours a couple of summers ago that Aston Villa wanted Ward-Prowse but it ended up being Danny Ings who they got.

While it would be an unbelievable story for Ward-Prowse to stay with the club in the Championship, should they go down, it feels very likely the Saints’ captain will test the waters. With Euro 2024 looming, Ward-Prowse will want to best position himself to make the England squad. Additionally, if Southampton do go down, they will need to cut wages and Ward-Prowse will likely be a part of that movement.

So what exactly does that mean for Southampton? May 28th against Liverpool at St. Mary’s Stadium may very well be his last game in red and white stripes. Whatever happens, at the very least there needs to be a proper celebration of the commitment Ward-Prowse has put into the club. It is hard to see Southampton ever having another player with such longevity given the nature of present-day football. Southampton will also have to figure out who replaces such a consistent and athletic midfielder next season, but that is for another time.