West Ham United have completed the signing of James Ward-Prowse from Southampton for a reported fee around £30m.
Ward-Prowse who joined Southampton at the age of eight went on to make over 410 senior appearances as well as captaining the club, before they were relegated last season.
Upon the signing of his contract, Ward-Prowse stated that: “I’m buzzing to be here at West Ham United.”
“From the outside looking in, this is a club that has been on the rise for a number of years now and coming off the success in the Europa Conference League last year, you can feel there is real momentum around this club.”
West Ham United manager David Moyes revealed: “He’s performed to a very high level in the Premier League over the last decade, constantly producing good numbers season after season.”
“His leadership qualities are obviously another huge plus for us – he’ll be a big voice for us, someone who drives the team on from the middle of the pitch.”
How Ward-Prowse Will Fit Into West Ham United
Ward-Prowse made his Southampton debut at 16 in an EFL Cup tie against Crystal Palace in October 2011, while he made his top-flight bow on the opening day of the 2012-13 season.
West Ham United new signing is renowned for his set-piece delivery, and only David Beckham has scored more than Ward-Prowse’s 17 goals from direct free-kicks in the Premier League.
Southampton stated that Ward-Prowse, who was appointed club captain in 2020, is “one of the finest talents to ever come out of the Saints academy”.
The statement read: “His commitment to Southampton FC over two decades, his professionalism both on and off the pitch, and his support in the community means he leaves with his legacy as a Saints legend well and truly cemented.”
West Ham United sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m and turned their gaze to Ward-Prowse for much of the summer.
He joins the Hammers alongside Mexico midfielder Edson Alvarez who joined from Ajax in a deal thought to be worth about £35m.
West Ham have also reached an agreement to sign Manchester United defender Harry Maguire and also planning to bring in Cole Palmer on loan from Manchester City.
Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings Suffers Knee Injury
Tyrone Mings of Aston Villa has sustained a “significant” knee injury that will require surgery and a long period of recovery time.
Mings, 30, was stretched out of the pitch in Premier League opener that saw Villa lose 5-1 to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle.
Mings has only missed about 12 Premier League games since Aston Villa was promoted back to the top flight in 2019.
The England international has featured in 155 games for Villa since joining from Bournemouth in 2018 and has also captained the club.
This injury is the second one for Aston Vila in the space of a week after midfielder Emi Buendia was ruled out for up to eight months with a knee ligament injury sustained in training.
