Southampton Captain and talisman James Ward-Prowse is tipped with a move away from St Mary’s this summer. With over 300 appearances and 11 seasons with The Saints, Ward-Prowse would leave the club with a wealth of Premier League experience and many England appearances.
This amount of football at England’s top-level makes him a good target for other Premier League clubs - but where could Ward-Prowse be playing his football next season?
Antonio Conte’s Tottenham have bounced back from the poor start to the season under Nuno Espirito Santo to find themselves firmly in the race for the last Champions League spot.
Ward-Prowse has been in Tottenham’s interests for a long while, with links between the Englishman and Spurs surfacing during the 2021 summer transfer window. The interest seems concrete as the links have been consistent despite changes of management.
Ward-Prowse has a good record against Spurs despite Southampton’s overall poor record against the London club. In the 18 games Ward-Prowse has played against Tottenham, he has only won four - drawing four and losing ten. However, he has scored four goals against Spurs, his second-best tally against a Premier League team.
Manchester United will look to do a squad makeover this summer under the close supervision of new manager Erik ten Hag. With The Red Devils failing to make the Champions League, a strengthened squad is needed to challenge for the pinnacle of European football in the next season.
With defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic confirming his exit from the club this summer, Ward-Prowse could be the perfect replacement for the Serb. Though, the Englishman does bring the element of set-piece speciality which would differentiate from the current Manchester United midfielders.
Ward-Prowse also has two goals in his 17 appearances against The Red Devils, but only has two wins against the club, with eight draws and seven losses.
United are priced at 6/1 to acquire Ward-Prowse in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Newcastle United’s new owners have been in place since October 2021 and now have their first summer transfer window to really splash the cash. The January transfer window saw The Magpies spend £90 million, so Ward-Prowse, along with many others, could be a real possibility.
Newcastle were reportedly interested in signing Ward-Prowse in January but failed to land the Englishman’s signature. However, The Magpies are back in the race for the midfielder, who The Saints have valued at £60 million.
The Magpies are yet another club Ward-Prowse has multiple goals against. The Southampton captain has two goals in 14 games against Newcastle, along with five wins, three draws and six losses.
Ward-Prowse is priced at 8/1 to make the switch from St Mary’s for St James’ Park.
Aston Villa just announced the permanent signing of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona and look to add Ward-Prowse to their strengthening roster.
In the last summer transfer window, Aston Villa competed with many other clubs for the chance to draw Ward-Prowse away from St Mary’s. However, Villa’s £25 million bid for the Englishman was rejected by Southampton, with The Saints valuing their captain much higher.
Aston Villa is one of the Premier League clubs that Ward-Prowse has more wins than losses against. In the 12 games the Englishman has played against The Villa, he and Southampton have seven wins, two draws and three losses. Ward-Prowse also has two goals and four assists against Aston Villa.
Villa are priced at 10/1 to sign Ward-Prowse in the upcoming summer transfer window.
