West Ham United are set to see one of their more experienced midfielders leave the club in the coming days – with the Hammers now back in talks with fellow Premier League strugglers Burnley over the potential loan exit of James Ward-Prowse.
The Hammers have been proactive in the January window as a result of their awful Premier League form, seeing strikers Pablo and Taty Castellanos join from Gil Vicente and Lazio respectively. However, they have overseen exits for Luis Guilherme, Andy Irving and Guido Rodriguez, as well as below-par striker Niclas Fullkrug.
Main midfield star Lucas Paqueta is also thought to be nearing an exit, with GIVEMESPORT sources confirming that Flamengo have made a £36million bid for the Brazilian, meaning it will be a busy few days in the capital.
Report: Burnley Reopen Talks to Sign James Ward-Prowse From West Ham United
However, an exit is on the cards. The report by The Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath states that talks are now ‘back on’ for James Ward-Prowse to head to Burnley on loan.
West Ham had some uncertainty last week over his departure from the London Stadium, despite Ward-Prowse rarely turning out for the Hammers this season due to their managerial change in Nuno Espirito Santo.
And, despite a bench appearance against Sunderland at the weekend, it’s thought that £30million signing Ward-Prowse could now once again be on his way to Turf Moor after talks broke down in the past few days.
That is in spite of Rodriguez, Irving and potentially Paqueta being sold. The Hammers have brought in Venezuelan unknown Keiber Lamadrid on loan, but with exits for the bulk of their midfield, they are alarmingly light in the engine room.
Should Ward-Prowse and Paqueta exit, it would see just Mateus Fernandes, Tomas Soucek, Freddie Potts, Soungoutou Magassa and Mohamadou Kante as their midfield options. Surely one more would be neededin any scenario.
James Ward-Prowse Simply Isn’t Liked by Nuno Espirito Santo
James Ward-Prowse celebrates
Ward-Prowse joined West Ham in the summer of 2023 after Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League, where he’d scored 49 Premier League goals in 343 games for the Saints.
It was a successful debut campaign from Ward-Prowse, notching seven goals in the Premier League with as many assists, also playing a key part in their run to the Europa League quarter-finals.
However, last season he was loaned to Nottingham Forest, where he started in just five games in the first half of the campaign under Nuno before being sent back to London.
And, with Nuno being in charge since the end of September, Ward-Prowse has yet to feature in a single minute of football under the Portuguese gaffer. It’s no wonder he’s keen to move to Burnley despite their Premier League days looking numbered.