West Ham United Join The Race For Southampton’s Set-Piece Maestro

According to a recent report, The Guardian has stated that West Ham United have joined the race for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse. It has also been mentioned that the Hammers will face heavy competition and the buying club would have to pay a hefty sum to acquire his services.

Ward-Prowse’s Impressive Numbers For Southampton

Ward-Prowse enjoyed an impressive spell last season as he managed to put in some influential displays in the attacking third of the field. He made 41 appearances for The Saints in the previous campaign, scoring 11 goals and creating 7 assists across all competitions.

The English midfielder has been reliable in the central areas of the pitch and has performed consistently after averaging 1.1 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.1 clearances, 1.5 shots, 2.0 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per game in Premier League football. He has even been tidy with his ball distribution from the midfield as he completed 86.3% of his attempted passes in English top-flight football (stats via whoscored).

What Could He Bring To West Ham United?

Ward-Prowse is a decent tackler of the ball, and he can sometimes secure the ball back for his side in the central areas of the pitch. He can offer decent cover for his teammates in the defensive end of the field. The Englishman doesn’t mind taking shots from a long-range as he strikes the ball with power and precision.

The England international remains a maestro in taking set-pieces and has the vision to set up some meaningful openings for his teammates in the final third of the field. He is comfortable playing his way out from the central areas of the pitch as evident by his pass completion rate.

James Ward-Prowse is a definition of an all-round midfielder, and an addition of a player with such calibre would make West Ham’s midfield a force to be reckoned with. He will no doubt enhance the quality of David Moyes‘ starting XI and could help them aim for a top-tier finish in the next campaign. However, the asking price would certainly put off a lot of clubs until Southampton decide to lower it.

Should Ward-Prowse come to London Stadium, we could see a beautiful partnership with Declan Rice in the holding areas of the midfield and Moyes would be wise to snap him up ahead of the next season.