James Ward-Prowse’s West Ham exit imminent following brutal decision
James Ward-Prowse was brutally left out for West Ham’s game against Everton after a poor start to the season.
Soungoutou Magassa came in for Ward-Prowse against the Toffees, with the 30-year-old not even travelling with the first-team squad to Merseyside.
In his place, Magassa and Matues Fernandes created a solid partnership, which is expected to continue in their next Premier League game against Arsenal.
Ward-Prowse was one of the first names on the team sheet for Graham Potter, but his West Ham career looks to be coming to a close under Nuno Espirito Santo.
James Ward-Prowse told he can leave West Ham
Nuno held talks with Ward-Prowse before he was left out for West Ham’s game against Everton.
The Portuguese manager has previously worked with the 30-year-old at Nottingham Forest, but there appear to be different plans for the midfielder in East London.
West Ham are open to the sale of Ward-Prowse, who is one of their highest-paid players on £120,000 a week, with the midfielder being told in talks that he is allowed to leave.
However, they will be lucky to make back much of the £30million they paid for him in 2023, with the midfielder yet to replicate the form he showed at Southampton.
According to GiveMeSport on October 2, the Saints are exploring the possibility of a return for Ward-Prowse in January.
The Hammers have yet to benefit from the midfielder’s impressive free-kick record from his time with the Saints.
Instead, Ward-Prowse has racked up some of the worst running stats as he was amongst the lowest for distance covered in West Ham’s opening game against Sunderland, with just 10.4 kilometres covered.
How much West Ham could make from James Ward-Prowse’s exit
The Hammers face a tough task recouping all of the £30million they paid for Ward-Prowse.
However, they could recoup a substantial amount from his exit if certain conditions are met.
Any exit in January would likely be a loan with an option to buy at the end of the season for Southampton, should they go up.
With just a year remaining on his contract, the Saints will likely be offered a chance to sign him for a cut price of around £10million.
Once you factor in the possible £3million wages they could save from his loan move, West Ham could cut their losses and save a potential £13million.
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