Gabby Agbonlahor believes the time has come for James Ward-Prowse to leave Southampton and would love to see the England international join Aston Villa, speaking to talkSPORT (27 April, 9.30am).
This may seem like a rather odd take, but to boil Ward-Prowse down to a ‘set-piece specialist’ does the Saints skipper something of a disservice.
Yes, ‘JWP’ is arguably the best free-kick taker in world football right now. He’s scored a remarkable nine since the start of last season after all. But do not underestimate the influence Ward-Prowse can wield from open play too.
Few midfielders in Europe, let alone the Premier League, have a skillset as varied as a man who, as he showed during Sunday’s virtuoso performance against South Coast rivals Brighton, can pass, tackle, dribble and shoot with laser-like precision.
And some rather awkward questions are starting to be asked. Has the time come for a now-27-year-old Ward-Prowse to consider his future away from a Southampton side who haven’t finished in the top half of the table since 2016/17?
Will Ward-Prowse stay or go?
“James Ward-Prowse needs to leave Southampton as soon as possible, for me,”
“He can play at a higher level with his quality on the ball. He should be playing European football definitely. He’s 27 now, it’s that time to move. I’d have him at Aston Villa every day!”
Southampton reportedly demanded £50 million for their Portsmouth-born academy graduate last summer, after turning down a bid from Aston Villa. That was before Ward-Prowse, labelled a ‘great player’ by Villa boss Steven Gerrard, put pen to paper on a new five-year deal at St Mary’s.
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Simply put, Southampton will be under no pressure whatsoever to cash in on their talismanic captain, especially following some welcome investment in the shape of Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak.
With ten goals in 38 games, Ward-Prowse has hit double figures for the first time in his career this season.
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