West Ham are set to pull out of a potential transfer for midfielder James Ward Prowse. The withdrawal is believed to be due to Southampton’s refusal to drop their £40m asking price for the Hammers target.
The Hammers have also received an unlikely ally in their stance on the perceived inflated transfer fee. Because Fulham are also reported as unwilling to budge on the their £30 million valuation of the player.
Whether or not we’re seeing the green shoots of West Ham’s new transfer by committee remains to be seen. However, it’s abundantly clear that neither ourselves or Fulham are prepared to overpay.
Ward Prowse is a decent player but he’s not even the best midfielder at Southampton. Romeo Lavia has that dubious honour and is believed to be available for £50m.
Liverpool are being reported as having pulled out of a deal for Lavia, although the story seems to change constantly. Last week Arsenal were believed to be in pole position for the player, but wish to conclude the Declan Rice transfer first.
Quite why West Ham are chasing 28 year old Ward Prowse and not Lavia is beyond me. The Belgian has proven himself in the Premier League and is tipped to become one of the best midfielders in Europe.
At 19 years of age he also has a bright future and his value should increase. So why we didn’t snap him up at the start of the window is a bit of a mystery. We were fully aware that Declan would need replacing, and Lavia could have been secured before the likes of Liverpool started sniffing around.
As for Ward Prowse . . . . Lets’s just hope that our transfer council can unearth some slightly more inventive targets.