Tim Sherwood has claimed that Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse would be a ‘great signing’ for Newcastle United, as he told Premier League Productions (27/01/22 at 12:55 pm).
The former Blackburn Rovers captain compared the English midfielder to Virgil van Dijk and how the norm for Southampton, over the years, has been to sell their players on to a ‘bigger’ club – and thinks Ward-Prowse would be a fit at St James’ Park.
During the January transfer window of 2018, Van Dijk swapped the South Coast for Merseyside for a fee worth £75 million (BBC Sport) – and the rest is history.
There was well-documented interest in Ward-Prowse during the recently-concluded summer, but he stayed put at St Mary’s and is now starting to showcase his magic again.
Not only that, he penned down a new deal at the club, as Sherwood shared his thoughts on how Ward-Prowse and Southampton deal with matters.
“What is success for Southampton,” questioned Sherwood. “Stay in the league. Take a few scalps along the way.
“We saw when they beat Liverpool (last season), the manager was in tears. It means a lot to him. You look at Van Dijk (leaving Southampton). Who is next out of the window? There will be someone next.
“Ward-Prowse is someone they have managed to keep hold of, who I thought he would be a great signing for Newcastle. That’s if they are willing to offer the money. But they have managed to keep hold of him.
“Perhaps with new ownership, they might see a new direction. But we have to look at recent history and it’s about using this as a stepping stone to go onto the bigger clubs. Success for them kids is to play a lot of games in the Premier League, then get a move to a bigger club.”
Ward-Prowse penned a new contract at Southampton over the summer, so even something ridiculous might not get him out of the club.
Plus, the Saints have just had new owners, so the first move from those in the boardroom isn’t going to be to sell their star player.
But, come the summer, that’s when teams in Europe and the Champions League might just circle for a player like Ward-Prowse.
The Englishman is perhaps the best set-piece taker in the world, if you disagree, then take the word of one of the world’s best football brains in Pep Guardiola.
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