Stuart Pearce has suggested that James Ward-Prowse might ‘stay’ at Championship side Southampton despite transfer links to Tottenham Hotspur.
There are many clubs in the Premier League keen to take the 28-year-old on board this summer following Southampton’s relegation, including suggestions that he would ‘improve’ Spurs if he moved to north London.
But despite the Saints heading down and James Ward-Prowse clearly too good for England’s second-tier, former England left-back Pearce suggested that he has ‘such a connection’ with the club that he might not go anywhere, as he told talkSPORT.
There is loyalty in football and a certain Saints legend, Matt Le Tissier, proved to the footballing world what that word actually means after his services to the club.
But Ward-Prowse would probably hit higher heights if he decided to stay at St Mary’s because Le Tissier never ended up in the Championship, even though he was the ultimate one-club man.
Nonetheless, despite big transfer noise around Ward-Prowse ahead of the summer window officially opening, Pearce spoke about the player’s future.
“I get the impression with James (Ward-Prowse) that he might even stay at Southampton,” said Pearce. “Do you get that at all? No, you think it’s a done deal.
“I just think he has such a connection with that football club. He is the captain of it and the driving power of it. If I was Southampton, and you are looking to bounce back, if I was the manager, then I would say ‘give me one season’.”
Ward-Prowse needs to leave Southampton
It could be argued that he should have left Southampton during the summer of 2021, instead of signing a new contract.
That proved to be a mistake on his part because, since then, the South Coast club started to decline and decline.
Now Ward-Prowse, who was called ‘so talented’, needs to head for the exit door and join a Premier League team that can help take his game to the next level as he starts to hit his peak years.
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