West Ham target James Ward-Prowse set to play for Southampton on Friday as Russell Martin provides update on his future
West Ham target James Ward-Prowse will be involved in Southampton’s opening fixture of their Championship campaign, according to manager Russell Martin.
As reported by Sky Sports News (3 August), David Moyes’ side have not given up their pursuit of the midfielder after seeing their £30million bid for the 28-year-old knocked back.
And Martin has said Ward-Prowse will feature in the match against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday 4 August “as it stands”, but could not confirm that he will still be a Saints player come the end of the transfer window.
“Both (Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia) will be involved on Friday night, as it stands,” Martin told the media during a pre-match press conference, as reported by Sky Sports News (3 August).
“I don’t know what will change between now and then. Do I think they will be Southampton players by the end of the window? I have not got a clue.”
Not close
The fact that Ward-Prowse is set to line up in Southampton’s first competitive game of the season indicates that a deal between the Hammers and the Saints is not close at this moment in time.
If it was, it would be unlikely that the Englishman would play due to the risk of him being injured and consequently ruining any chance of a transfer going through.
Once Ward-Prowse has got the Championship campaign underway with his club it could prove more difficult to prise him away from St. Marys and it seems as if West Ham might be running out of time.
If the long-term Southampton player is their number one target they may have to pay the asking price in order to reach an agreement before next week when their Premier League season gets underway.
If a deal cannot be reached soon, they might have to start looking elsewhere, with Ward-Prowse clearly in Martin’s plans.
In other West Ham news, the club might already have a ready-made solution for their issues upfront.