Imagine the scenario. Flynn Downes is flat out on the St Mary's pitch as Tonda Eckert signals frustratedly to the bench. Millwall are 1-0 up away from home, and there are twenty minutes left to play.
Cameron Bragg, removes his training top and limbers up ready to come on. He's played an hour in midweek already where alongside Romeo Akachukwu he had too much to do.
Saints Marching flagged this weeks ago. The midfield is way too thin now that Shea Charles has gone to Fulham. Tuesday night highlighted just how threadbare the Southampton midfield really is.
Why r/SaintsFC has talked itself into the wrong concern
The Saints fans were busy concerning themselves with the news that Keven Schlotterbeck was on his way to Staplewood for a medical when the Ward-Prowse story dropped.
Once the Saints FC Reddit community got hold of the news, it focused little on the quality of the midfield or Ward-Prowse's undoubted qualities; it focused entirely on returning 'old boys'.
Unsurprisingly, Oriol Romeu's name kept cropping up. The Spaniard made very little impact on the first team finding match fitness hard to achieve.
Nobody really knows the impact that Romeu had on those around him at Staplewood, though. His training habits and his approach must surely have had an impact on the younger players at the club. What they took from playing alongside him for the Under-21s can not be measured in first-team results.
Theo Walcott and Adam Lallana were also mentioned, but the difference between the three and Ward-Prowse is plainly obvious.
At 31, 'Prowsey' is still young enough to cope with the Championship and certainly good enough. His football brain is quicker than most around, and his pace has never been electric.
What fifty grand a week actually buys the Saints
On social media, @SaintsExtra reported on Wednesday that West Ham pays Ward-Prowse somewhere in the region of £50k a week. To put that into perspective, that's less than half of Aaron Ramsdale's salary and Ramsdale doesn't even play!
🚨 James Ward-Prowse is thought to currently earn around £50k per week at West Ham, which could prove a stumbling block in any potential deal — but he is thought to be open to returning to Southampton #saintsfc @JackRosser_ pic.twitter.com/ftuMrvuEgF
— SaintsExtra (@SaintsExtra) August 26, 2026
The idea of a loan was floated on the Reddit thread, but West Ham are unlikely to entertain that idea. Strengthening a promotion rival's midfield won't be at the top of Nuno's priority list, even if Ward-Prowse isn't in the West Ham manager's plans.
The Championship season is a long and punishing one. The inevitability of a Flynn Downes suspension makes Cam Bragg's form and Caspar Jander's availability an even starker concern.
Cameron Bragg still needs some protection as he aims to build on an impessive breakout season.
Signing Ward-Prowse makes complete sense and the Reddit community are looking in all the wrong places for comparisons. Those fans with longer memories (like mine) will hark back to Mick Channon, who returned from a season at Manchester City before continuing to build his legacy at The Dell.
Saints should pay West Ham a fee. Four years of Premier League money is about right.
Verdict: The Reddit community have got this one all wrong. Ward-Prowse is a class above the current squad and still young enough to cope with the demands of a long season.
Saints must not turn this deal down purely because the Romeu experiment didn't really work out. If they do, Eckert's midfield will always be one ankle injury away from trouble.
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