West Ham United finalize deal to sign Southampton’s club legend
By Evan Curnew
Once the signing of Edson Alvarez is complete, West Ham United will work towards finishing off another midfield signing. The club has held long discussions with Southampton over the potential transfer of James Ward-Prowse. There was a brief moment of time where a deal looked completely off as Southampton were reluctant to cave into West Ham’s valuation of the player. Now it looks as though the clubs have reached a compromise.
The Athletic report that a £30m deal has been reached between West Ham and Southampton for James Ward-Prowse. The expectation is that the English midfielder will sign a four-year contract with the Hammers. It was reported earlier this week that West Ham were eager to wrap a deal before the beginning of the Premier League season. With Southampton in the Championship, it felt a matter of time that a player of his quality would be back up playing with a Premier League side. Ward-Prowse did not feature in Southampton’s EFL Cup loss against Gillingham.
Ward-Prowse has over 400 career appearances for Southampton and, to date, has been a one-club man. He came through the club’s academy and made his debut for the club at 16 years old. By all means, he is one of the most respected players ever in Southampton’s history. Often regarded as one of, if not the best, set-piece takers in the world, Ward-Prowse provides a unique skill set for David Moyes. Ward-Prowse is also the captain at Southampton and could provide additional leadership as West Ham searches to be contenders in Europa League this season.
West Ham’s busy off-season will likely not end with signing James Ward-Prowse either. The club also wants to sign midfielder Scott McTominay but also risks losing Lucas Paqueta to Manchester City. If those moves go through, all of a sudden, West Ham have a completely different-looking midfield than they previously had.