Improved West Ham bid coming for England ace Guardiola labelled the best he’s ever seen
West Ham have seen an opening bid rejected for a player Pep Guardiola previously claimed is the best he’s ever seen at one aspect of the game, though an improved offer is coming, per reports.
The Hammers have cash to splash on the back of selling Declan Rice to Arsenal for a package worth £105m. David Moyes is determined to land a direct replacement, while a more box-to-box midfield option is also under consideration.
To that end, West Ham have already lodged a £45m bid for Fulham destroyer Joao Palhinha and tabled £40m for Chelsea livewire Conor Gallagher.
Unfortunately for the Hammers, both bids were rejected. According to numerous sources, a bid to sign Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse has met the same fate.
The Sun’s Jack Rosser recently spoke with Southampton’s director of football, Jason Wilcox. Via Rosser, Wilcox confirmed his club have rejected a bid for Ward-Prowse from West Ham.
Sky Sports claimed it was worth £20m (£17m plus £3m in add-ons). The Daily Mail suggested it totalled £25m, though what is clear is Southampton have said no.
However, the story might not end there, with Wilcox quoted as saying: “If we get the right offer – we will consider it. We don’t have to sell.”
Southampton aren’t desperate to offload their talismanic midfielder despite suffering relegation to the Championship. But as Wilcox suggested, they are open for business at the right price.
On that front, the Mail claimed Southampton’s asking price is £40m. That would represent a sizeable jump for West Ham irrespective of whether their opening bid was worth £20m or £25m.
In any case, both Sky and the Mail reported West Ham fully intend to bid again and will lodge an improved offer. Whether it’ll be enough to convince Wilcox and Southampton to cash in, only time will tell.
Ward-Prowse wows Guardiola
In the event West Ham do strike an agreement with the Saints, they’ll be landing a player who has a huge admirer in the form of Pep Guardiola.
Among Ward-Prowse’s many stellar traits is his deadly delivery from set pieces as well as his ability to score direct from free-kicks.
His tally of 17 goals direct from free-kicks is just one behind Man Utd legend David Beckham’s 18 in the Premier League era. The gap to joint-third on that list (Gianfranco Zola, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo) is a hefty five.
His dead ball abilities previously drew an almighty compliment from Man City boss Pep Guardiola.
The Spaniard has seen his fair share of free-kick specialists in his time, not least Lionel Messi during his stint at Barcelona.
However, it was Ward-Prowse who he previously labelled the best he’s ever seen from the dead ball.
“They (Southampton) have the best free-kick taker I have seen in my life in [James] Ward-Prowse,” said Guardiola after a hard-fought 1-0 Man City victory in December, 2020.
