TalkSPORT guest suggests unknown West Ham targets amid James Ward-Prowse transfer saga
West Ham ‘s reluctance to pay Southampton’s valuation for midfield target James Ward-Prowse may suggest that the Hammers have other unknown targets lined up, according to Rene Meulensteen.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (3 August), the former Manchester United coach suggested if they feel his valuation is too high, other more cost-effective options could be considered if Southampton refuse to budge on the £40million asking price.
While the Saints understandably value their captain and free-kick specialist at a high price, despite their relegation, it may cause West Ham to ditch their efforts for his signature.
Speaking live on talkSPORT, Meulensteen said: “The value is obviously what Southampton need. With West Ham having sold Rice for quite some money and I think it would be a really, really good move for Ward-Prowse.
“But to make the blunt statement says something to me, that if they’ve gone as far as this, it gives me the hint that they may have another target that we don’t know of yet.
“They might think that this is all they’re going to offer Southampton, and if they don’t want to take it then we’ll go for another option.”
Interesting
West Ham will naturally have many midfield options on their list this summer but do not seem to want to get pushed around regarding a fee for Ward-Prowse.
Chairman David Sullivan was steadfast in his valuation of Declan Rice and ended up getting the deal done closer to his terms than Arsenal.
While this approach may have worked then, it does not seem to be playing into their hands this time and Southampton are now being the justifiably stubborn party.
However, Moyes is very keen on Ward-Prowse, with the Daily Record reporting (1 August) that he had urged the board to sign him.
Losing out on such Premier League experience and leadership could be a big blow to the Hammers especially as they are not a million miles away from agreeing on a fee after the Saints rejected £30million.
Meulensteen’s suggestion that the Irons have other unknown targets on their radar may well be correct, but with little time remaining before the start of the new campaign, they may want to act with a bit more urgency to avoid a poor start.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are keen on a Venezia powerhouse striker as their Michail Antonio replacement.