Ward-Prowse is coming home, but Southampton still need another midfield terrier

An agreement has been made in principle to re-sign Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse from West Ham United on a 2-year contract.

With the number 30 shirt available, the stars have aligned for the most eagerly anticipated homecoming since Mick Channon returned to Southampton from Manchester City in 1979.

Prowsey's career away from Southampton hasn't quite reached the heady heights that many thought it might, and he returns to St Mary's eager to enhance his reputation and secure his legendary status at the club where it all started.

The problem pivot Ward-Prowse walks into

Southampton's double pivot works best when it is (to use Tonda Eckert's own word) robust. Flynn Downes is about as robust as they come in that respect but beyond that only Caspar Jander can properly be considered as a number six.

Cameron Bragg and James Ward-Prowse are cut from the same cloth. Not particularly quick but fast thinkers, and both are brilliant technicians. Bragg is a modern-day Pirlo who takes care of the ball under pressure and has a great range of passing. Ward-Prowse is more of an eight but versatile enough to play wide on the right-hand side, or deeper if needed.

Romeo Akachukwu filled in for Downes and Jander against West Ham and looked like a fish out of water at that level. With Bragg exposed, the Hammers spent most of the first hour flooding through the middle and by the time Downes entered the fray the match was done and dusted.

The Southampton spine lacked resilience and needed to be more robust, according to Tonda Eckert. Ward-Prowse is hardly the new Terry Hurlock (ask your grandad) or David Prutton (ask your dad), so another signing could well be needed before the week is out.

Caspar Jander is the closest the squad has to another combative midfielder and he hasn't played a minute of competitive football since he limped off in pre-season at Eastleigh.

Tuesday night at Birmingham

The transfer window closes gently at Staplewood on Tuesday night, shutting out unwanted noise and safely sheltering its fragile inhabitants from the threat of being untimely ripped from their surroundings.

Shattering the metaphor for a moment, Southampton will be in action at St Andrew's in the hours before the window closes, so any deals that get agreed late will happen while the squad is on the motorway. This is the madness of running a football club on the last day of a transfer window.

The addition of another combative midfielder would make this a decent window in that area of the pitch. Sometimes a double pivot needs a bit of intensity and aggression

Watford's Imran Louza, who Saints were connected to earlier in the window, fits the bill nicely, as does West Brom's Callum Styles.

Set pieces alone justify the outlay on Ward-Prowse. Ryan Manning has a great free-kick record of his own. Add Ward-Prowse into the mix and free-kicks in and around the box become a lethal weapon.

Less than a million quid for a player West Ham paid £30m for in 2023 is a bargain. Southampton have one of their favourite sons coming home. Just need to go and get another ball winner now.

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