James Ward-Prowse left out of West Ham squad travelling to Everton as Graham Potter exit fall-out continues
West Ham United travel to Everton on Monday evening after a chaotic weekend in East London.
Graham Potter has been sacked as West Ham manager after winning just six of his 25 games in charge, with the Irons’ 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace being the final straw.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been named as Potter’s replacement, just a month after he was harshly sacked by Nottingham Forest after falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Nuno will take charge of his first game on 29 September as West Ham travel to Everton and the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and he has already made a big call regarding James Ward-Prowse.
James Ward-Prowse left out of Nuno Espirito Santo’s first West Ham squad
Ward-Prowse will play no part in the Hammers’ visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday.
West Ham Football on X has reported that the Englishman has not travelled with the West Ham squad to face Everton, leaving Nuno’s options light in midfield, with Tomas Soucek also suspended.
The omission of the former Southampton man is a shock, as he has started every game so far this season, and has been labelled as one of Potter‘s favourites during his time at the Irons.
Fans have called for Ward-Prowse to be dropped in recent weeks due to his poor performances, and it appears that the former Wolves manager has granted his new fan base their wish.
- Read more: Graham Potter was nearly sacked by West Ham months ago as David Sullivan email exchange revealed
James Ward-Prowse needed to be dropped
One of the most significant problems this season for West Ham has been their midfield, which has regularly been overrun by the opposition, causing problems for the defence.
Ward-Prowse has been one of the biggest culprits for the Hammers’ struggles, having been the only midfielder to start every game so far this season.
| James Ward-Prowse 2025-26 | Minutes |
| Sunderland (A) | 71 |
| Chelsea (H) | 90 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | 90 |
| Nottingham Forest (A) | 75 |
| Tottenham Hotspur (H) | 90 |
| Crystal Palace (H) | 90 |
The former Forest man has been extremely poor ever since he arrived at the London Stadium in 2023, and it was to the detriment of Potter that he continued to start him as much as he did.
Nuno, meanwhile, has stamped his authority to make a big call and drop one of Potter’s go-to players, sending a message that no one is undroppable in the West Ham team.
However, the Portuguese manager now needs to back up his decision by getting a much-needed result on Merseyside on Monday night.
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