When James Ward-Prowse returned to West Ham on Deadline Day, the general consensus was that it was a good idea to bring in some extra options. But it didn’t bring the same level of excitement as it did when he initially signed for us. Now after his recent performances, I’ve begun to think that he could play a key part in Potter’s plans this season and bring us something that we were missing.
It’s impossible to ignore the fact that in the first three games he played in, we didn’t concede a single goal while he was on the pitch. But is his return a lot more important than we’d given him credit for, or could I be getting my hopes up too early?
The Nottingham Forest Frustration
The set piece specialist didn’t get much of a look in while on loan at Nottingham Forest, spending most of his time on the bench, or not in the squad. In fact, having signed for them in August, he only played a full 90 minutes twice. I don’t think any of us would have expected Forest to be in the European spots at this point in the season, but their form meant Ward-Prowse was barely given a look-in.
Aside from being wasted there, most importantly to us, he wasn’t playing and was potentially losing value with a lack of game time. In hindsight, the loan move never made much sense, given that Ward-Prowse’s departure left us short in midfield, with players like Guido Rodriguez who didn’t have proven Premier League experience.
Hitting the Ground Running
But since his return, Ward-Prowse has exceeded my expectations. We always knew he could clock up goals and assists, as well as covering a lot of distance, but he’s certainly hit the ground running. Coming on against Brentford, he showed that he’d maintained fitness and if anything, continued to improve in his absence.
Replacing Soucek at half time, Ward-Prowse went on to play a key part in fixing some of the issues we’d been facing, helping us to win the second ball, becoming more dynamic in midfield and being able to hold possession slightly better.
Evolution in Open Play
Another key area of his game that I feel has improved is that he’s not only playing straightforward balls in open play, often looking to switch the ball or get it out to Wan-Bissaka. A common criticism previously was that he wasn’t the type of player to be overly defensively-minded or put in a crunching tackle, but since his return, we’ve also seen him make some impressive challenges.
Ward-Prowse definitely has a big job ahead. As a player that does the ‘ugly’ things well, if he’s not scoring or assisting, he’s always going to be in the firing line for criticism, but I’m quietly confident he can link up play and play a big part in a strong end to our season.
Chasing Beckham’s Record
Do I expect him to play in every game? No. But is he a great option to have? Absolutely. Plus, only at West Ham could we sign the player with the second-most goals from Premier League free kicks and have him score more from corners than free kicks.
The team seems delighted to have him back, I’m excited to see what he can do and here’s hoping he can finally score from a free kick to equalise Beckham’s record. Here’s to a couple of big months ahead for JWP.
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