Arguably the story of the summer in the premier league was the fire sale from the doorstep of the St. Mary’s Stadium. Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Calum Chambers, and Dejan Lovren all left Southampton for a combined 92 million pounds. To add insult to injury, manager Mauricio Pochettino also bolted for White Hart Lane.
From a Southampton fan’s point of view, the summer couldn’t have gone much worse. From a more neutral point of view, Southampton have managed to keep hold of their brightest young star in James Ward-Prowse.
The 19 year old, who joined the Saints’ academy at just eight years old, is already entering his third season as a full-time member of the first team. It goes to show why over two years ago, then manager Nigel Adkins had the faith in the 17 year old Ward-Prowse to give him his premier league debut in midfield against defending champions Manchester City.
Up against Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Samir Nasri, David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Vincent Kompany that day, Ward-Prowse earned the high praise of his manager in 65 minutes of impressive two-way football. Since then, Ward-Prowse’s rise has been steady but relatively undetected.
With the aforementioned Saints now having moved on to new clubs, now is Ward-Prowse’s time to shine. It remains to be seen if he has the toughness and desire to deliver with added pressure on his young shoulders, but I wouldn’t bet against him.
He is a technician in the mold of Steven Gerrard, with less of a physical presence but possessing superior speed and quickness. Also reminiscent of the Liverpool skipper, Ward-Prowse is outstanding in dead-ball situations and can spray the ball to any corner of the field with accuracy and vision.
He has yet to score in the premier league, but his strengths are not illustrated in his goal tally. In the 2013/2014 premier league season, Ward-Prowse had a better pass completion and average pass length than both Ross Barkley and Jack Wilshere, England’s two most promising playmakers.
Furthermore, the young Saint also averaged more key passes and chances created per 90 minutes than both of his countryman last season.
Internationally, Ward-Prowse has experience at the U-17 through U-21 levels, most recently representing England in the 2014 Toulon Tournament in France in May. His only goal of the tournament was a breathtaking free kick against Brazil, which was eventually voted goal of the tournament.
He was also voted one of the best three players of the tournament, which is a showcase for the best young talent in the world. In my humble opinion, he was robbed of a spot on Roy Hodgson’s recent squad he named for the upcoming friendly against Norway and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland, but his eventual inclusion in the Three Lions is a formality.
After a summer in which England were eliminated so swiftly and with such ease from the World Cup, Ward-Prowse gives hope to a Three Lions team in desperate need of a new star. With Gerrard and Lampard deciding to hang up their boots, Ward-Prowse will certainly challenge Wilshere, Barkley, Adam Lallana, and Jordan Henderson for playing time in central midfield.
Here and now however, James Ward-Prowse’s focus will be on the premier league, while more viewer focus should be on him individually. Down the road it is a formality that he will move on for a very hefty transfer fee, but for now Southampton fans can rest easy that they still very much have a star to watch.
