West Ham fell flat with £30m disaster - Southampton are laughing loud | OneFootball

West Ham United's £30 million deal for James Ward-Prowse has proven to be a disaster for the club as Southampton are left laughing

The summer transfer window is officially over for another year, and as for West Ham United, Irons supporters will likely have mixed feelings about how their business has played out.

Upon their relegation to the Championship for the first time in over 14 years, West Ham knew their squad would undergo a massive overhaul, with numerous big earners likely leaving the club.

As it has played out, the East London outfit have collected healthy fees for the likes of Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Freddie Potts, bringing in excess of £220 million on those sales alone.

Nuno Espírito Santo and Nils Koppen have worked tirelessly over the summer to rebuild the squad, bringing in the likes of Edvin Austbo, Joel Piroe, Arne Engels, and Manor Solomon on permanent deals for around a combined £50 million.

Whether they will prove to be good value for money remains to be seen, but who certainly hasn't proven to be is James Ward-Prowse.

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Ward-Prowse, 31, joined West Ham in the summer of 2023 from relegated Southampton for around £30 million, and was instantly made a mainstay in the side under David Moyes at the London Stadium.

However, three years on, the 11-capped England international's stock has plummeted, and with Nuno making it clear that the midfielder had no place in his squad ahead of this campaign, an exit was always going to be on the cards.

Factoring in his wages, the only reason he remained at the club for this long was due to his lucrative wages, as now, Southampton have taken their academy graduate and former captain back to St Mary's for just £1 million, but where did it go wrong for him in the capital?

James Ward-Prowse had an excellent debut season at West Ham United after £30 million switch to Southampton

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Upon his arrival, Moyes instantly made Ward-Prowse one of the focal points of his midfield, grabbing two assists on his debut in a 3-1 win over Chelsea, before scoring twice and assisting once in his next three league games for the club.

Under Moyes, the dead-ball specialist played in all of West Ham's Premier League games that campaign, aside from the opening day as he hadn't joined just yet, starting 34 league games and making 52 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven and assisting 12.

However, when Moyes left the club at the end of that season, it became clear that his place in the side was far from guaranteed, as his new boss would take action to ensure that would be the case.

James Ward-Prowse fell out of favour at West Ham United

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Julien Lopetegui's appointment would essentially see the Englishman exiled from the West Ham squad swiftly, with the Spaniard handing him just one substitute appearance before allowing him to join Nottingham Forest on loan.

At the City Ground, he'd link up with a certain Nuno, but even then, Ward-Prowse found minutes difficult to come by, finding himself behind each of Elliot Anderson, Ryan Yates, and Nicolas Dominguez in the pecking order under the Portuguese head coach.

Lopetegui would be dismissed by January, as Graham Potter would bring the midfielder back to the club that window, being reintroduced into the Hammers' side under the former Chelsea boss.

However, Potter's reign would last much longer, as Nuno would take his place in the London Stadium dugout, and by the time January 2026 rolled around, Ward-Prowse had not made a single matchday squad under the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss, and exiled to train on his own.

Now, after just one 45-minute appearance in the Championship for West Ham, Ward-Prowse was allowed to leave the club permanently, as Southampton have brought back their former captain for £29 million less than what they sold him for just three years ago.

West Ham United hit the buffers in their deal for James Ward-Prowse as Southampton are laughing

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Still just 31, Ward-Prowse has a lot left in the tank to give, and going back to his boyhood club, with whom he already has over 400 appearances for, could be the thing that revives his career.

The Englishman showed what he was capable of under Moyes, and West Ham's subsequent managerial appointments saw him fall out of favour in East London as a result, through no real fault of his own.

The Hammers make a big loss on Ward-Prowse after just three years, as Southampton, for just £1 million, re-sign their former captain, in what could prove to be a bargain if he re-find his form.