The January transfer rumour mill is already churning out a mountain of rehashed gossip and one story doing the rounds at the moment is the ubiquitous James Ward-Prowse return to Southampton claim.
According to a variety of online football sports news websites, Southampton remain interested in re-signing their former captain.
Since leaving the Saints in 2023, Ward-Prowse has made just 57 Premier League appearances for West Ham United. The return on their £30 million investment has been eight goals and eight assists, not enough for the former Southampton talisman to retain his place at the London Stadium.
The former Saint being frozen out by Nuno
A brief loan period at Nottingham Forest has made matters worse for Ward-Prowse who has now been frozen out by Nuno Espírito Santo.
The Hammers are rumoured to be keen to cash in on Portsmouth born Ward-Prowse and their misfiring forward Niclas Füllkrug, who could be on his way to Milan.
Southampton are no strangers to re-signing their recent legends. Sport Republic's Group Technical Director, Johannes Spors, had no hesitation in bringing back another former Saints captain, Oriol Romeu, to the South Coast earlier this month.
A deal looks unlikely for these reasons
However, a bid for Ward-Prowse seems unlikely considering Southampton's abundance of talent in central midfield.
Caspar Jander has impressed since arriving from FC Nürnberg in the summer in a £10.4 million deal and Flynn Downes is looking more like his former self after seemingly recovering from a stomach illness.
Only injury is keeping Shea Charles out of the team. His form, during Will Still's tenure, was one of the few bright sparks in a drab start to the season.
In addition to the return of Oriol Romeu, who is yet to start a match for Southampton, the emergence of Cameron Bragg through the academy has been encouraging.
All this makes it increasingly unlikely that Southampton will make a bid for Ward-Prowse in the January transfer window.
The argument for re-signing Ward-Prowse is convincing
An argument for re-signing Ward-Prowse could be his ability to play virtually anywhere in the team. Although 'Prowsey' is primarily a central midfielder (an archetypal number eight) he can play at right-back, right-midfield, or as an attacking midfielder.
This ability to play almost anywhere could pique the interest of Saints' young Head Coach, Tonda Eckert, who has lacked cover in key areas recently. With Elias Jelert, Mads Roerslev, and Tom Fellows recently injured, Eckert would have loved to be able to call on a player of Ward-Prowse's undoubted quality.
Although it seems increasingly unlikely that Ward-Prowse will return, Southampton fans should not rule out the possibility altogether.