Southampton backed to seal romantic West Ham deal - 'they would love him down here' | OneFootball

FLW's Southampton Fan Pundit believes that West Ham United midfielder James Ward-Prowse would be welcomed back to St Mary's.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

After a tricky start to the campaign, Southampton have begun to turn things around and are now, once again, looking like one of the likeliest promotion contenders for the back end of the Championship season.

Following their fairly humiliating relegation from the Premier League last season, Saints decided to part company with former Lens boss Will Still quite early into his reign, as they languished towards the bottom end of the second-tier table.

His replacement, Tonda Eckert, did a good job initially in interim capacity and he has continued that further, having been given the job on a permanent basis.

As they approach the January transfer window, Southampton will be seeking for further reinforcements to ensure that they sustain their recent much-needed improvement.

One man that was linked in October was James Ward-Prowse and it has now been reported by The Guardian that West Ham United may well seek to move the former Saints captain on in the January transfer window.

James Ward-Prowse would be welcomed back by most at Southampton

Having come through the impressive and renowned academy at Southampton, Portsmouth-born James Ward-Prowse went on to have an initial 12-year stint in the first-team down on the south coast.

The 31-year-old midfielder, who eventually became captain of Southampton in 2020, went on to make over 400 appearances for the club before his departure in the summer of 2023, following Saints’ relegation from the top-flight.

It was a controversial departure that left a sour taste for many supporters but FLW’s Southampton Fan Pundit Martin Sanders believes that most fans, including himself, would welcome the return of Ward-Prowse.

Martin says: “I think that 98% of the fans would accept it, they would love him down here.

“Would he come back and play in the Championship? Probably.

“Would Southampton have the budget to pay his wages? That’s the big question.

“That is what it would rest upon, the finances and whether he thinks he could still be a Premier League player.

“Our midfield is pretty packed but Shea Charles has picked up a pretty long-term injury, Flynn Downes hasn’t quite been at it and he would be an upgrade on Downes, certainly.

“He’d be great with (Casper) Jandar in there with him. Shea Charles is the one, though, who is a good player.

“Our midfield is packed. Oriol Romeu has come back but looks way short of fitness and I’d absolutely welcome it, for sure.”

James Ward-Prowse would provide real quality for Southampton

There is often a lot of talk about players that are way too good for the Championship but perhaps not of the level to be regular week in and week out starters in the Premier League.

At the age of 31, there is a feeling that Ward-Prowse now falls into that category, having struggled for game time initially at West Ham, prompting a loan switch to Nottingham Forest.

That move to the City Ground ended prematurely mid-way through the 2024/25 campaign due to issues with Nuno Espirito Santo, which have again hurt his minutes in the Premier League following Nuno’s subsequent appointment at the London Stadium.

At a lower level and in a more familiar environment down on the south coast, as his career enters into a new phase, it is surely the case that Ward-Prowse could offer a lot to Saints in what, as Martin says, is a stacked midfield.

Summer signing Casper Jandar has impressed this season and Shea Charles has emerged as one of the best midfielders in the division in the last 18 months, with the likes of Flynn Downes, Oriol Romeu and Cam Bragg all also in the squad.

However, with Charles’ injury, Downes’ form, Romeu’s fitness and Bragg’s inexperience, there is certainly room for a player of Ward-Prowse’s quality to return to Eckert’s midfield in the 3-4-2-1 shape that he has consistently implemented.