West Ham: James Ward-Prowse agreement edging closer

The Southampton talisman was missing from his club’s most recent pre-season friendly amid interest from the London Stadium.

West Ham United are close to reaching an agreement to sign Southampton central midfielder James Ward-Prowse this summer, according to reliable reports.

Is James Ward-Prowse leaving Southampton?

The St. Mary’s Stadium captain firmly established himself as his side’s overall best-performing player last season with a WhoScored match rating of 6.95, but having suffered relegation, he is likely to be one of the several prized assets cashed in on should the right offer arrive, despite still having three years remaining on his contract.

Football Insider claimed that the Irons saw a verbal proposal rejected for the 28-year-old earlier in the window, though the same outlet have since stated that David Moyes was set to formalise his interest by submitting an official opening offer, with a fee between £40-50m expected to be enough to prise him away from their rivals in the Premier League.

Speaking on Sky Sports News on Tuesday evening, reporters Dharmesh Sheth and Kaveh Solhekol confirmed the England international’s absence from his club’s pre-season friendly against Bournemouth detailing the reason as being due to a “precautionary measure due to a knee injury”, before following up with the suspicious line “Where have we heard that before during the transfer window?”, hinting that it was in fact as a result of his ongoing situation behind the scenes.

Are West Ham signing James Ward-Prowse?

According to Sky Sports Transfer Centre, West Ham are “edging closer” to an agreement with Southampton regarding a deal for Ward-Prowse. The E20 side are believed to have held “positive talks” with the south coast outfit and it’s suggested that the player agreeing personal terms is “not expected to be a problem”

Ward-Prowse may primarily be a central midfielder but it’s obvious for everyone to see that he’s naturally much stronger in the offensive aspect of his game having posted 13 Premier League goal contributions (nine goals and four assists) last season, and should he sign on the dotted line, it would be a massive coup for Moyes and West Ham.

The CAA Stellar client recorded 241 crosses and 127 shot-creating actions over the course of the previous campaign which was more than any other member of his squad, via FBRef, and this kind of top form saw him dubbed a “machine” by journalist Alfie House.

The Portsmouth-born talent, who has the versatility to operate in six various positions across the pitch, is also strong when it comes to set pieces having been named the division’s number one free-kick scorer for the previous campaign with three direct goals, highlighting his ability to deliver under pressure.

Interestingly, Ward-Prowse has secured six victories against the Irons throughout his career so is already used to being successful when facing Moyes and Co, and with the boss having seen first-hand what his target is capable of when being part of the away team, he’ll be excited by the prospect of what he can get out of him should he decide to jump ship and instead be working under the guidance of the Scotsman ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.