Perhaps the most surprising and most disappointing thing to come out of James Ward-Prowse’s forgettable West Ham United stint is that Premier League record remains the property of one David Beckham.
When he joined the Hammers from Southampton during the summer of 2023, James Ward-Prowse needed only two free-kick goals in order to overtake the Manchester United legend as the division’s most prolific-ever player from dead balls.
Nearly three years later, the Burnley loanee is still stuck on 17.
Why do YOU think it didn’t work out for James Ward-Prowse at West Ham?
Despite playing 57 league matches for West Ham United, and having recorded 15 shots from direct free-kicks, the most recent to find the net came when Ward-Prowse was wearing a Southampton jersey.
At least the Hammers can avoid the humiliation of Ward-Prowse scoring against them at Turf Moor this weekend. The England international is ineligible against his parent club.
Burnley boss Scott Parker is convinced that Ward-Prowse improves his midfield options ‘tenfold’. The former Upton Park talisman may be in for a bit of a rude awakening, then.
Because, when we at Hammers News asked you to reflect on Ward-Prowse’s ill-fated two-and-a-half year spell in East London, the response told a sorry tale of a now-31-year-old midfielder who seemingly no longer possesses the athleticism to cope with the demands of Premier League football.
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West Ham United fans give their verdict on James Ward-Prowse after Burnley switch
Ward-Prowse will, at least, always have a winner away to West Ham’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur to look back on. That December 2023 strike was one of few highlights, and one of his last genuine contributions in a claret and blue shirt.
“Where did it all go wrong? Well, I think the game where the opposing keeper gave him a 50 yard head start and got to the ball first was a big turning point!” one TalkingPoints user writes on our official Facebook page.
“Although, personally, I think he still had something to offer. Definitely a worthy squad member, and not sure that he deserved to be treated the way he was.”
That is an opinion many seem to share.
Ward-Prowse was frozen out completely by Nuno, only making the matchday squad once in four months. You didn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to wonder if this was the result of a breakdown between the pair during JWP’s loan stint at Nottingham Forest during the first half of 2024/25.
Ward-Prowse fell out of favour once Nuno Espirito Santo arrived
Though, while some feel that Nuno was a little heavy-handed in the Ward-Prowse situation, it would be difficult to justify giving him minutes at a time when Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa are watching on from the bench.
“I’m sure he’s a great guy but, in terms of football, he doesn’t get stuck in, hardly tackles, he’s not very fast…,” another fan writes. “His only redeeming quality is his set-pieces but he hasn’t scored a free kick in years!”
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“Truly, I wish him the best. Still think he would have been a better option from the bench than [Guido] Rodriguez and [Andy] Irving, but Nuno obviously wasn’t a fan.”
“He was excellent till New Year 2024. Then, West Ham lost form, so did he.”
“Lacks pace and his dead-ball contributions have been few and far between.”
“I think he’s a player that would have excelled with us under [David] Moyes in our Conference League side. Unfortunately, as we got weaker with worse players, he was a tidy player but not someone who could win us games.
“Then his set plays became less of a threat as we lost all ability to win balls in the air and have not replaced the [Kurt] Zoumas, [Angelo] Ogbonnas, [Craig] Dawsons, [Michail] Antonios.”
“The myth of his dead-ball prowess is well over-emphasised. Our midfield needs legs, power, pace, and players looking to get on the front foot, he does not offer any of that.”
“He’s a 100 per cent player and puts everything into a game, but just not quick enough and definitely not one of the best set piece takers anymore.”
Say what you want about West Ham’s squad building and their January business, a midfield quartet of Potts, Magassa, Tomas Soucek and Mateus Fernandes possesses an aggression and an athleticism that Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez and Irving simply could not match.
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