West Ham player who David Moyes often raved about finalises medical ahead of exit
West Ham’s winter transfer window is coming to the boil as the 2 February deadline approaches.
It was always expected to be a busy winter transfer window at West Ham, with Nuno Espirito Santo needing to conduct some quality business in order to give his side the optimal chance of Premier League survival.
West Ham moved quickly to sign Pablo just days into the month of January, and the young Brazilian striker was quickly joined by a fellow South American striker, Taty Castellanos.
However, since then, things had gone quiet on the incomings front, but that all changed again on Wednesday as West Ham confirmed the signing of Adama Traore from Fulham.
James Ward-Prowse moves one step closer to West Ham exit
So, whilst West Ham are no doubt going to be continuously monitoring the market for further signings right up until the deadline, outgoings may now become the order of the day at the London Stadium.
Lucas Paqueta is heading for Flamengo, with his long and now tiresome transfer saga finally coming to a conclusion.
Meanwhile, some fringe players such as Guido Rodriguez and Andy Irving have been allowed to leave in recent days, with the former joining Valencia and the latter Sparta Prague respectively.
James Ward-Prowse has been an outcast under Nuno, having made just five Premier League appearances for the Hammers this season.
However, it’s become evident that whilst Nuno may not have a place in his team for him, Scott Parker certainly does at Burnley.
West Ham’s relegation rivals have been in talks over a deal for the 31-year-old midfielder over the last week or so, and now they are on the verge of confirming his arrival at Turf Moor.
As per Dharmesh Sheth on Sky Sports News on Wednesday evening, Ward-Prowse has now completed his medical with Burnley.
It’s stated that the 11-cap England international is expected to be joining the Clarets on loan for the rest of the season.
David Moyes always had good things to say about Ward-Prowse
Ward-Prowse clearly doesn’t hold a place in Nuno’s or West Ham’s long-term thinking, having previously been loaned out to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2024 under Julen Lopetegui.
However, former West Ham boss David Moyes always spoke highly of Ward-Prowse during his time in charge at the London Stadium, and should he still be in that role, it’s quite plausible that the midfielder wouldn’t be going anywhere.
Speaking in September 2023 after Declan Rice’s departure for Arsenal, Moyes even compared Ward-Prowse to some of the greatest midfielders the Premier League has ever seen.
“I always thought from the start he would be ideal – I would never use the word replacement because I don’t think you can replace Declan with one player – but James has given us another dimension,” said Moyes.
“The top-scoring midfield players – maybe Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, I would go back longer to people like John Wark – and James might not get as many goals as them but he might get more assists than them.
“So what he’s doing is really good for us.”
It’s fair to say Ward-Prowse’s West Ham career never really took off, but hopefully he will return from Burnley rejuvenated ahead of next season.
Stay up to date this winter with our West Ham transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at the London Stadium, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.