Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Tottenham primed to benefit from Prem midfield star’s ‘definite’ move under one condition

James Maddison and James Ward-Prowse

Tottenham could benefit from Southampton’s demise, as reports suggest star man James Ward-Prowse will ‘definitely’ leave should they be relegated.

Goalscoring midfielders are frequently linked with Tottenham. You need to look no further than Rodrigo Bentancur to see how successful they are in Spurs’ system.

Other than Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, the Uruguayan is the club’s second-top goalscorer this term with six goals. That’s despite missing a good portion of the season so far through injury.

Antonio Conte’s side have been frequently linked with James Maddison. Another potential option to add to the midfield stocks that they have looked at is Southampton’s Ward-Prowse.

Both of those men have been in top goalscoring form over the past few seasons.

There are benefits to the signings of both, too. Not only do they score goals, but they also create for others, as well as offering a great set-piece option.

Ward-Prowse, specifically, is one of, if not the best, free-kick taker in the world.

Southampton’s manager Ruben Selles has deflected talk of Spurs’ interest in the star, branding it “irrelevant”.

Tottenham ready to benefit from Ward-Prowse decision

However, it seems there is a genuine threat that the midfielder will leave. In fact, Football Insider reports Ward-Prowse will ‘definitely’ not be at Southampton next season if they’re relegated from the Premier League.

That would surely open the door for Spurs. The report states the north Londoners are ‘keen to sign him’ and they ‘are likely to make a move’ come the end of the season.

If he’s in line to move on, that could well be an easy snare.

The likelihood is, at this stage, that the Saints will be relegated. They’re dead bottom of the league and nobody has won fewer games than they have.

As such, Tottenham could find themselves in possession of a very useful asset soon.

Conte exit could throw signing up in air

There is a possibility that Conte’s exit from Tottenham could put a stop to the signing. That may be the case whether that happens during the season or at the end of his contract in the summer.

The Italian is said to be an admirer of the Saints midfielder. However, there is no guarantee that whoever takes the job after him will share the same opinion, or use him in the way Conte would’ve.

The potential snare might be too good an opportunity for any coach, though. Ward-Prowse has been Southampton’s best player for the last few seasons.

In the last three campaigns, he’s managed 29 goals in all competitions, along with 18 assists. His ‘definite’ exit could mean he’s available for a cut-price fee.

As such, with Tottenham seemingly leading the pursuit, whoever is the manager might well pull off the snare. On the other hand, there’s likely to be a few clubs lining up for a player of Ward-Prowse’s quality.

It could be an interesting summer when it comes to the Englishman’s future.

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