West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse this summer – and his arrival could see David Moyes form a potentially unstoppable tactic at the London Stadium.
Could West Ham sign Ward-Prowse?
According to talkSPORT, Southampton have told the England international that he will be free to leave St Mary's this summer should the club suffer relegation to the Championship, which looks set to be confirmed in the coming weeks, barring an incredible turnaround.
The Mirror's print edition on Thursday (via West Ham News) also suggested that the 28-year-old would be open to joining Moyes' side this summer, although it was previously suggested by 90min that he could cost as much as £50m.
With Declan Rice likely to be on his way out of the London Stadium, West Ham will need midfield reinforcements and will have money to spend – and Ward-Prowse would represent an experienced, quality option in the middle of the park.
Despite Ruben Selles' side sitting bottom of the top flight, the Saints captain boasts seven goals and two assists in 34 appearances so far this term, with a strong 6.90 average rating from WhoScored.
Considering this is more goals and a higher rating than anyone bar Rice and Lucas Paqueta in West Ham's squad, it seems clear the quality he could add to Moyes' side this summer.
However, it is arguably the midfielder's ability from set-pieces which makes him such an attractive proposition for Moyes and West Ham, as he could improve a tactic which has already been a consistent source of goals for the Hammers in recent years.
Could Moyes form an unstoppable West Ham tactic?
This season has seen West Ham manage just 18 goals from open play, whereas 11 of their 37 total goals in the Premier League have come from set-pieces, which represents a significant 30%.
This is the highest proportion of any side in the top flight, so while the Hammers haven't scored the most set-piece goals, it seems clear that they are one of the best teams in the division when it comes to attacking corners and free-kicks.
Therefore, the addition of a set-piece specialist, who Pep Guardiola dubbed the "best free-kick taker in the world", could see Moyes improve upon this dangerous tactic even further, as his pinpoint deliveries could chaos for opposition defenders.
Former teammate Charlie Austin was also full of praise for the Southampton academy graduate when speaking on talkSPORT, saying:
“His set-pieces and that are brilliant. He’s probably going to beat David Beckham’s record but, the nuts and bolts of his game, running hard, winning the ball back, and leading his team are phenomenal.”
West Ham will need a quality replacement for Rice if they are going to push on and distance themselves from a relegation battle again next season, and the addition of Ward-Prowse could do just that, as few Premier League sides would be able to deal with the Hammers' prowess from set-pieces should the England international arrive.
