Fresh update on Ward-Prowse future as Hasenhuttl reacts to Tottenham rumours
Ralph Hasenhuttl has doubled down on Southampton’s stance over James Ward-Prowse, amid claims Tottenham could move for him this summer.
Ward-Prowse is Southampton’s captain, while he has also been their talisman this season. The central midfielder is on 10 goals and eight assists from 39 matches so far.
Ward-Prowse has only missed two Premier League matches during 2021-22, which came back in October.
Arguably his best performance of the campaign was against Brighton last month. He found the net twice to give the Saints a 2-2 draw against Brighton away from home.
Ward-Prowse is deadly from set-pieces, having scored from 14 free-kicks in the Prem so far. He is just four behind England legend David Beckham, who currently holds the record.
Last summer, Aston Villa made a £25million bid to land the England international. But Hasenhuttl’s side rejected it and then rewarded him with a new contract lasting until 2026.
Despite the new terms, Ward-Prowse is likely to be the subject of more transfer interest in the summer.
According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Tottenham and Newcastle both hope to capture the 27-year-old.
Hasenhuttl agrees with club chiefs over James Ward-Prowse
The report also revealed Southampton would tell their Prem rivals he is not for sale, no matter the price.
And Hasenhuttl has reiterated this stance ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brentford. At the pre-match press conference, he said: “He has another four years on his contract, he’s our captain and he’s happy here.
“Fans love him and we know how important he is to our team. The development of his game is why he’s a true winner.
“I think he’s very exceptional. I haven’t seen any players similar.”
Ward-Prowse is Southampton’s top scorer this season. While he has been in glittering form, the team isn’t performing as well as it should be.
They sit in 15th place on 40 points, with nine wins from 35 outings so far. While this is normally enough to ensure safety, Hasenhuttl believes more results are required.
“I think we definitely will need more points. I don’t know if all three teams down there will pick up more points than we have, before the end of the season, I’m not sure.
“We want to have a game against Brentford now where we do it better than in the last game against Crystal Palace – especially in the finish.
“This gives us the chance to then finish high up in the table. It’s not about having the feeling of being safe, we have the chance of getting in a top-10 position and this is the direction we are looking.”
