Last summer David Moyes made it clear that James Ward Prowse would be his key signing from Southampton.
The player is a statisticians dream. He holds the Southampton record for Premier league free-kicks and has the leagues best free-kick conversion since 2003.
Another key part is his fitness, in 2021 he became the first Premier league player to play every single minute of two consecutive Premier league seasons.
Fast forward to last season at West Ham and he contributed seven goals and seven assists in the league, and four assists in ten during West Ham’s European adventure.
The eleven capped England international has three years left on his contract and turns 30 in November, yet has been put up for sale by Julen Lopetegui.
His replacement will likely be Carlos Soler, a player unfamiliar to many West Ham fans. He registered two goals and two assists for PSG last season and has 14 caps for Spain. In fifty appearances for the French giants he has scored five goals.
The midfielders best years were at Valencia where he began his career and made over 226 appearances. He impressed enough for PSG to sign him in 2022. At 27 years old he is a few years younger than Ward Prowse.
So far the ex Southampton player has attracted the attention of Notts Forest who have offered a loan to buy deal, yet West Ham are looking for an all out cash purchase, and are rumoured to want £25m.
Whilst it’s understandable that our Spanish Head Coach wants players he knows and trusts, I am surprised that he is willing to part ways with the set piece wizard.
We will know more by Friday, yet based on statistics alone Soler’s stats for a top Champions League club in France pale in comparison. Lopetegui however feels he is an upgrade and the club want to back him in order to achieve the targets set this season.
It will be an interesting week!
Let him go. Offers nothing apart from set pieces… can’t pass it forward.
i question even his set pieces
thought our corners have looked dangerous with bowen
granted we had that kiwi as set piece coach back that
Agree with you completely, he’s surplus to requirements!
Yes have to agree – just doesn’t do enough – too slow, too weak on the ball, cannot tackle, or win a header – dead ball specialist relic from Moyes anti-football
Apart from the first six weeks, he’s done nothing.
Is set pieces have been average his corners have been good his goals are few and far between. He does nothing to move attacking play forward And He passes backwards a lot.
None of the six top clubs would touch him. Thank you very much and goodbye JWP
There’s probably ten teams that could do with him.
💯 Cash in on JWP while we still can, hasn’t got the legs or the strength needed.
At 29, JWP needs to start for his club. If he’s not in Julen’s plans, then it’s best he moves on.
If it’s a case of reducing the number of squad members, then Ings, Cornet and Aguerd should leave with Zouma. I don’t see a place for Irving either….he’s well down the pecking order.
I’d be really surprised if as many as six West Ham players have been moved on by Friday’s deadline.
What set piece wizard, not something we have seen at West Ham and anyone who has watched Soler will tell you he is a better player than JWP. I trust Lop knows better than us the type of player he needs to implement his model.
Tend to agree with most others on here. He’s done OK but not pulled out any trees.
Disagree with this article. Ward-Prowse has been found out as being something of a one trick pony and is neither tough enough to dominate a Premiership midfield nor have the range of passing to open up defences. His overall contribution in a match is simply insufficient for him to justify his place in a team aiming for a top half position.
I should have also added he was ranked West Ham’s best playmaker last season, 116 shot creating actions averaging 3.48 a game. Even a drop in form for the second half of the season and he still finished as the best playmaker in our squad!
In that case add another $75.00 to the transfer fee
we do not know for sure that JWP has been put up for sale.
It is social media speculation that has not been corroborated by anyone
I hope he doesn’t go, but let’s see
As for Soler – with the greatest of respect to JWP, overall Soler is the better player.
He went to a big club which doesn’t always work for players
He would have been better off probably staying at Valencia
JWP move to West Ham a big mistake. Should move back to Southampton, to prove above comments wrong. Issue not JWP, but West Ham, who are on par with Nathan Jones.
Totally disagree with August 27, 2024 above who is making all the comments.
Any way goodbye fo now
Totally agree with myself. I HAVE NOT SUPPORTED WEST HAM SINCE ????, QPR BRTTER TEAM. NONSENSE ALL WAY AROUND.
West ham on the same level as Nathan Jones . FFS you’re best player couldn’t even make the WHU squad . And your 8/11 to be relegated. And I strongly smell BS that you really come from east ham as well .
JWP has had his moments, he contributed in the midfield, including various assists and goals, his short range passing very good. But his set pieces and long range passing were only average, and his overall influence on the pitch was less than hoped for. JWP will have to decide if he prefers to be a substitute at West Ham, or rather be part of the starting eleven elsewhere.
My lasting memory of JWP last season at WHU will be of a midfielder who created very little, passed the ball mostly sideways or backwards and had no stomach for a 50/50 challenge. Interesting that so many others here had the same takeaway. He is not a good fit and I don’t see him changing, so I think the rumours are probably right. That said, he was paid well so no need to lose any sleep, just find a replacement who is a significant upgrade and move on.
If we can get £20-25m or thereabouts for him then it’d be worth offloading.
However, it’s purely down to his age. It was basically unanimously agreed last season that Moyes didn’t use him in his best position/how he should have been used. Hell, if you read the comments above, he apparently done “nothing” from either set-pieces nor open play… yet he was comfortably our most creative midfielder and matched Kudus for G/A in the PL.
There’s also the fact he’s a home-grown player so unless we’ve got another English player aged over 21 able to be brought in (particularly with Antonio and Ings also seemingly being looked at for leaving) to meet that criteria, it could be a mistake selling him. As I say though, if it’s a fee around £20-25m it’d be worth taking as Ings and Antonio won’t bring anywhere close to that in.
how many free kicks has he scored Martin in claret and blue? Hardly expert !
Ward Prowse is a one trick pony and that trick is no longer worth showing . He contributes nothing in defence or attack and is slow in transition . He should never have come to the Hammers as there were other positions that needed attention . We had a plethora of one paced sideways passing midfielders . Anything we get for him is a bonus but we must get rid asap . He is taking a shirt from prospects like Earthy and could not be further away from super sub status . COYI
So apart from being our main creator of shots and chances he creates and does nothing
What have the Romans ever done for us?
I totally disagree. He is an ok number 10 but defensively an onlooker when we are under pressure. And as a number 10 we have Paqueta, Kudus and Souchek who all are better than JWP. As for his fantastic free kicks how many resulted in goals last season? Zero! JWP and Ings are among the worst of Moyes’ signings.
I can’t deny his free kicks are brilliant, but they haven’t been for us most of the time, so let him go.
We wasted our money when we bought him now let’s get as much back as possible. I don’t think midfield is really going to matter seeing as we are playing hoofball and bypassing the creative players
The club has to have a clear out, far to much deadwood on top wages, if those players don’t go transfer window not as good as it once looked, JWP is not our biggest problem by far.
To all those who wanted Moyes out, congratulations. New manager is happy to sell one of our best assets. I’m disgusted. Anything less than European qualification is failure.We we’re never in the bottom half last season. The last guy in charge ended 43 years of hurt. And it wouldn’t surprise me if in January Bowen decides he’s off!
Before you work up a real lather slagging off J.W.P. can you please take a few moments and check his statistics? then on reflection you may wonder why his performance tailed off last season ?
A quote regarding J.W P.
” Southampton have the best free kick taker I have ever seen, he is so good that maybe you miss a little bit of the footballer player. He is a team player of GREAT QUALITY without the ball and with the ball .” GUARDIOLA.
I wouldn’t argue with him .