West Ham should spend potential Declan Rice sale on Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse

West Ham United should reinvest some of the money they make off of a potential Declan Rice sale this summer on Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, Dean Jones believes.

Following their relegation to the Championship, the Saints are expected to lose their skipper this summer, and there have been a number of sides taking an interest in the free-kick specialist.

The Europa Conference League champions have recently emerged as a team interested in acquiring his services, The Evening Standard has reported, but the Saints will only consider selling Ward-Prowse for the right price.

What’s the latest West Ham transfer news?

Following their Europa Conference League win earlier this month, David Moyes’ side have been busy looking at ways to strengthen their side as they prepare for a Europa League return next season.

With Rice’s departure looming, they’ve identified a number of different potential successors for the Englishman, with L’Equipe recently reporting that Ligue 1 side Marseille are expecting the club to make a bid for former Arsenal man Matteo Guendouzi.

The Telegraph have also revealed that both Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire may potentially be on their way to West Ham, with Manchester United wanting to include the pair in a potential deal to land Rice.

With numerous potential moves in their eyesight, Ward-Prowse was recently added to the list of potential midfielders that could join the Hammers as they lose their prized asset, and while Southampton’s asking price for their skipper may have initially been a problem, the money made on selling Rice could be used in a deal, according to Jones.

What has Dean Jones said about West Ham and James Ward-Prowse?

While West Ham may not initially have the funds to match Southampton’s asking price for Ward-Prowse, Jones believes the money generated from selling Rice this summer should be reinvested into a deal for the Saints captain.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “There was earlier talk that clubs might try and get him for £25 million. I mean, that just can’t happen. So West Ham, if they get the chance to reinvest the Rice money that they’ll eventually get, then James Ward-Prowse would be a really good spot for them to push some of that cash.”

How does James Ward-Prowse compare to West Ham United’s current midfielders?

The Southampton man would immediately become West Ham’s best creative midfielder, if Rice is to leave, with Ward-Prowse’s average pass success rate of 85.3, higher than every other midfielder in the side.

In terms of key passes made a game, the 28-year-old’s average of 1.9 a game, dwarves everyone in the Hammers side, with Aaron Cresswell’s 1.4 the closest.

With the Hammers scoring from 11 set pieces last season, adding a specialist like Ward-Prowse to the squad will only boost that number even higher and the club would reap the benefits almost immediately.

No one at West Ham scored more than the nine Premier League goals that the Saints captain bagged last season, and with goals being a huge problem for the club, he’d help fix that issue.

Labeled “exceptional” by former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, Ward-Prowse would be a strong addition to the Hammers team and go a long way into replacing a club icon like Rice.