West Ham told to ‘push the boat out’ so sign James Ward-Prowse as talkSPORT pundit shares ‘important’ aspect of deal
James Ward-Prowse is a more important signing to West Ham than other teams due to his set-play quality, according to Danny Murphy.
Speaking on talkSPORT (2 August), Murphy claimed that the Hammers should “push the boat out” to secure a deal for the Englishman as soon as possible, noting that West Ham’s reliance on set pieces would make the free-kick specialist a perfect fit at the club.
Southampton and West Ham have been locked in heated transfer discussions over the midfielder, with the south coast side refusing to budge on their £40million valuation, but West Ham not valuing him at that price and reportedly exiting negotiations [Sky Sports]. Moyes however considers him a top target and has pressured the board to get the deal done [Daily Echo].
“Ward-Prowse for me is someone that if I was West Ham, I would push the boat out and pay a little bit more. Even if you get up to £35million and you’re £5million away from what Southampton want,” said Murphy live on talkSPORT.
“What you get with him, he knows the Premier League, he’s proven, his discipline and work ethic is exactly what David Moyes loves. He’s very, very good in that middle of the park in terms of his defensive work. He’s been captain for a couple of years and got some good leadership qualities.
“Probably the most important thing, when you look at the percentage of goals that West Ham score from set plays, you have to think that that’s going to go up if Ward-Prowse is taking them.
“Therefore, he becomes much more important than he would to another team because West Ham are so reliant on set plays.
“So, for me, they’ve got more money than they thought for Rice. So if you have to pay £10million more for Ward-Prowse, pay it. Get him in the door, get the fans onside and then you’re in a better place to negotiate for Zakaria.
“At least they’ll have one through the door.”
Sensible
Murphy is correct. West Ham fans will be feeling the frustration of not making any signings so far this summer after Rice’s departure.
The Hammers’ poor season was masked by their triumphant European success, finishing just six points away from the relegation zone and losing 20 games.
Reinforcements are needed across the park if they genuinely want to progress up the table, and Ward-Prowse would be an obvious and immediate improvement.
West Ham scored 11 goals from set pieces last season [WhoScored], which ranks them around midtable compared to the rest of the league. If the Southampton man was to switch to east London, it would likely boost these numbers significantly and give the Hammers a new cutting edge over rivals.
In the short term, however, it will finally give Hammers fans something to be happy about. The euphoria of the European success is slowly but surely wearing thin, and now reality stares them right in the face just 10 days before their Premier League opener against Bournemouth.
They are a lesser side than 2 months ago and in their current state could struggle to remain in the division if last season’s form is anything to go by. Moyes knows this, hence his frustration.
A deal must be struck. West Ham and Southampton must come to a compromise as soon as possible or things could go from bad to worse at the London stadium.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers’ international striker is close to a “sensational” exit from East London amid Serie A rumours.