James Ward-Prowse in running to be new West Ham United captain under Julen Lopetegui
West Ham United midfielder James Ward-Prowse could be in line to become the next captain of the club under Julen Lopetegui, according to The Athletic.
The report shared [15 May] that the England international is among the candidates to succeed Kurt Zouma if he leaves the London Stadium, or if Lopetegui simply decides to head in a different direction with the captaincy.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed a positive debut season in East London following the first transfer of his career from Southampton last summer, making 50 appearances and tallying 18 goal contributions.
Ward-Prowse is yet to add to his 11 England caps since 2022 and is unlikely to make the cut for Gareth Southgate’s squad at Euro 2024, but the armband would do his chances no harm of forcing himself back into the Three Lions reckoning.
James Ward-Prowse, the next West Ham United skipper?
After a successful season bedding in at West Ham as he continues his Premier League career, James Ward-Prowse would certainly qualify as captaincy material from this summer onwards.
Whilst it’s rare a new signing would instantly come in and be the dressing room’s senior figure, Ward-Prowse has earned his stripes throughout the season at the London Stadium and brings a wealth of leadership pedigree from his many years of service at Southampton.
The midfield man saw it all at Saints – he rose through the ranks whilst the club was on its knees financially, before starting (and ending) his career on the South Coast at Championship level, with over 400 appearances in between. His final three years at St Mary’s were spent formally as club captain.
The qualities Ward-Prowse brings as a footballer to this West Ham squad are known – even aside from his outrageous set-piece ability – and it’s incredible he is not yet 30 with how long he has featured in the professional game.
This enables the midfielder to take the responsibility under his belt for a number of years still to come, as Lopetegui and the club navigate a summer of change in their bid to rise to the next level.
In other West Ham news, one manager says he “immediately rejected” the chance to replace David Moyes.
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