There is reportedly no way back for the West Ham star after manager Nuno Espirito Santo ultimately decided he did not want the player, making his departure in January inevitable.
Back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Burnley took some of the pressure off Nuno’s shoulders and gave the Hammers some much-needed encouragement as they battled relegation.
West Ham looked set to lose the Championship for the first time since 2011 ahead of their only home win since last October, but Nuno’s six goals in the past two games quickly turned the tide.
But things don’t get any easier for West Ham from this point on. Nuno is preparing for a tough match straight after the international break.
West Ham’s Premier League results so far |
|---|
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham |
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea |
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham |
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham |
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace |
Everton 1-1 West Ham |
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham |
West Ham 0-2 Brentford |
Leeds 2-1 West Ham |
West Ham 3-1 Newcastle |
West Ham 3-2 Burnley |
The east Londoners face Bournemouth and Liverpool before heading to Man United, who are undergoing a resurgence under manager Ruben Amorim. Aston Villa and Premier League title contenders Man City will also be waiting for them during the holiday period.
The January transfer window has since been a vital lifeline for West Ham, with reports suggesting the club is gearing up for a very active winter in terms of player transfers and transfers. Sky Sports report that West Ham are targeting new defenders, midfielders and strikers in January, with Nuno assuring David Sullivan and others that they have the funds to bring in fresh talent.
We’re also going to see quite a few players leave. Striker Niklas Furkrug in particular appears to have been given the green light to leave after a lackluster spell due to injury and poor form.
West Ham could sell Guido Rodriguez purely for profit after signing him on a free transfer from Real Betis last year, but one of the players most likely to leave is midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
The 31-year-old was left out of West Ham’s match-day squad shortly after Nuno’s arrival, despite serving as vice-captain under manager Graham Potter and being the team’s “quiet leader”.
James Ward-Prowse ‘almost certain’ to leave West Ham following Nuno’s decision
For those wondering, there is basically no chance for Ward-Prowse to return to contention as Nuno is fully determined to meet the requirements.
Journalist Dean Jones told TEAMtalk this week that it was “almost certain” the Englishman would leave, with David Moyes’ Everton showing serious interest.
“Everton will be looking at the possibility of signing James Ward-Prowse, who is one of the players almost certain to leave the club in January,” Jones told TEAMtalk.
“There is no way he will return to West Ham’s plans. Nuno just does not want him in the team. He does not accept the idea of this change of direction.”
“I don’t think there is any chance that West Ham will try to stop him from leaving. They will treat him with respect and give him a chance to leave. He will definitely think he is good enough for the Premier League and could do the job at Everton, so I hope they will see what terms West Ham would agree to.”
The question for West Ham is how much money they can recover from the sale of Ward-Prowse and how much they can reinvest in strengthening key areas when they open in January.
Sullivan will also be keen to take the former Southampton star’s £115,000-a-week wages off the books. That’s because he is currently the club’s fourth-highest earner behind Alphonse Arreola, Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen.