Newcastle United are reportedly hoping to raid relegation strugglers Southampton for their influential skipper, James Ward-Prowse, with manager Eddie Howe seemingly looking to bolster his midfield ranks this summer.
What’s the latest on Ward-Prowse to Newcastle?
According to Football Insider, the Magpies are believed to be ready to pounce if the 28-year-old is made available come the end of the season, with the south coast outfit likely to find it ‘difficult’ to keep hold of their talisman if they fail to stave off the drop.
The report suggests that the England international could be part of a ‘fire sale’ if the Saints are to suffer relegation, with a number of Premier League clubs said to be sniffing around in the hope of landing the 11-cap maestro.
As the same publication previously reported, Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be keeping a close eye on the Portsmouth-born sensation, while Unai Emery’s Aston Villa could also be in the mix for his signature.
Who could Ward-Prowse replace at Newcastle?
The perhaps most obvious benefit of bringing Ward-Prowse to St James’ Park would be the £22m-rated man’s threat from dead-ball situations, with the experienced ace having emerged as something of a “set piece master” in recent years – as per broadcaster Maximiliano Bretos.
That quality has been showcased by the fact that the highly-coveted gem boasts 17 goals from free-kicks in his Premier League career – including three already this season – with that ensuring he is only one behind Manchester United legend David Beckham (18) as the all-time leading free-kick taker in the competition’s history.
Such prowess, however, has perhaps clouded the other impressive elements to Ward-Prowse’s game, with the 5 foot 8 dynamo arguably able to provide much more to Howe’s side than just his goal record alone.
If the £100k-per-week man is to make the move to Tyneside ahead of next season, he could well prove to be a notable upgrade on regular starter Sean Longstaff in the centre of the park, with the Magpies academy graduate arguably not of the quality of the Saints star.
Although the latter man has been an influential figure in Newcastle’s remarkable season so far – starting 20 top-flight games – the 25-year-old has scored just once in the league to date this term and only four times in his top-flight career in total, while Ward-Prowse already boasts six league goals from his 25 starts.
Equally, the senior man’s creative threat is also laid bare by the fact that he averages 2.1 key passes per game in the league this season and has created seven big chances in total, while the North Shields native only averages 0.8 key passes per game and has created just five big chances.
That differing impact is also illustrated by Ward-Prowse’s superior defensive record as he averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in the current campaign, while Longstaff has averaged 1.3 and 0.5 for the same two metrics, respectively.
It may appear rather brutal for Howe to ditch a player who has been a key man this season, yet the club’s recent wobble – having failed to win any of their last five league games – has illustrated that the high-flying outfit are far from the finished article, hence the need to bring in figures of ready-made quality such as Ward-Prowse in order to kick on once again next term.