James Ward-Prowse Next Club Odds: Saints skipper linked to West Ham, Newcastle, Tottenham and Aston Villa

Rumours continue to swirl surrounding the future of Southampton skipper James Ward-Prowse, who is being hotly linked with a move away from St Mary's following the club's relegation to the Championship.

The midfielder has proved he’s more than capable on the international stage and, with his trademark freekicks, he’s a solid asset to any Premier League side.

Plenty of Premier League clubs have shown their interest in the midfielder and we’ll be taking a look at what the betting market suggests for his next move.

West Ham

With West Ham's captain Declan Rice expected to leave after lifting the Europa Conference League trophy, West Ham will be searching the market for potential replacements.

JWP is likely to be on the club's radar. He has the experience to play a key role for the Hammers - who will return to the Europa League next season - and previously linked up well with former Saint Danny Ings, who joined West Ham earlier this year.

Previously out at 8/1 for a switch to the capital club, Ward-Prowse odds have been cut to as short as 2/1 following West Ham's cup success.

Newcastle

Newcastle are always mentioned these days when it comes to fresh transfer rumours and thanks to their seemingly infinite source of money, they’re often installed as one of the favourites in transfer markets.

Well, this time is no different as they are in the mix at 9/4 to sign Southampton’s midfield maestro.

After securing Champions League football, squad depth is going to be key for Newcastle next season if they want to keep up their consistency throughout the campaign.

This is where players like Ward-Prowse come in to help bolster that midfield. Though the fee won’t matter too much to Newcastle’s Saudi owners, they can certainly be more competitive when bidding for the player if the price is set a lot lower.

Tottenham

Many of the rumours surrounding Ward-Prowse's future have involved Tottenham (8/1), who are reportedly keeping an eye on the midfielder.

Spurs were uninspiring last season which seems like an all too familiar tale for them these days.

After appointing Ange Postecoglou as manager, Spurs are in need of some fresh talent to revitalise their squad and a player like Ward-Prowse could be exactly what they need.

The Tottenham squad is already full of stars, they’re just lacking some key players to get the ball rolling. Ward-Prowse isn’t the biggest name but he’s the type of player to come in and do exactly the job he’s meant to do.

Tottenham lack creativity in the midfield and with their options in the middle being limited, they’ve had to rely on the same two players: Hojbjerg and Skipp. This is no disrespect towards them but you can’t rely on two players to be your midfield options and they can aim a lot higher than those two. 

Ward-Prowse would add stability to the midfield and could even free up his former Saints teammate Hojbjerg a little bit more to run his defensive duties. The Southampton man also adds goals to any midfield with his freekicks which he can score from just about anywhere on the pitch. 

For me, it’s a no-brainer. Spurs are desperate for midfielders and they’re famous for not paying much in the transfer window.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa have been revitalised under Unai Emery who fired his side to 7th place in the table which is quite remarkable considering he took over when they were rooted in 15th place.

After qualifying for the Europa Conference League, Villa will need to add some depth to their squad if they want to compete throughout the season.

Villa have a decent amount of options in the midfield with Douglas Luiz, Leander Dendoncker, John McGinn, and Jacob Ramsey.

The midfield isn’t the place where they’re desperate for numbers so it doesn’t make too much sense to go in for Ward-Prowse. He is of course a very solid player but I don’t think the midfield is where they are struggling at the moment. 

Villa have shown interest in the past for the midfielder and they are reportedly keeping tabs on him, but they are out at 14/1 to land him.

It all depends on other clubs' interest in the midfielder and the price he’s available at; if West Ham, Spurs or Newcastle don’t go in for him, Villa could be the next option.