New West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo turned a few heads with one of his first acts at the London Stadium, axing previous Graham Potter mainstay James Ward-Prowse from the squad.
Nuno Espírito Santo drops Ward-Prowse with West Ham exit on the cards
Almost immediately after being appointed, Nuno made the ruthless decision to exclude Ward-Prowse.
The 30-year-old, named vice-captain by Potter and was a key figure under the Englishman, doesn’t feature anywhere near as prominently for Nuno, with the Portuguese completely dropping Ward-Prowse from his matchday squads to face Everton and Arsenal.
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
The move comes very quickly, perhaps surprisingly so, as Nuno assesses the squad and begins to implement his own plans.
Ward-Prowse’s omission marks a clear shift in the club’s approach, signaling Nuno’s intent to reshape the midfield and prioritize different players, despite the player’s leadership role and experience.
The call sparked considerable attention and discussion among fans and pundits, given Ward-Prowse’s status at the club. However, Nuno has remained firm in his choice to leave him out, preferring summer signing Soungoutou Magassa, who’s jumped right into the ex-Southampton star’s place.
In the aftermath of Ward-Prowse’s axe, reports have suggested that the midfielder is now resigned to leaving in January (GiveMeSport), and a return to his former club at St. Mary’s is believed to be on the cards.
“You would like to think he would at least get a chance to make an early impression, but the signs are that he is not part of the picture at West Ham and won’t be coming back into the frame,” journalist Dean Jones told TEAMtalk last week.
“He had been a major part of the early weeks but West Ham struggled and then he’s straight out of the side as soon as Nuno comes in.
“The player knows the writing is already on the wall and he is going to have to carefully consider how he brings his season back to life. A January transfer is going to be on the cards and there is already a whisper that he is going to get the chance to return to Southampton.”
The 11-cap England international is apparently just one free-kick goal away from matching David Beckham’s Premier League record of 18, but he’s now very unlikely to achieve that feat in East London barring a late surprise.
Why Nuno has really axed James Ward-Prowse from the West Ham squad
Now, former West Ham scout Mick Brown has shared some insight into why Nuno doesn’t favour Ward-Prowse at West Ham.
Speaking to Football Insider, Brown says that Nuno prefers his midfield men to be more combative and aggressive, explaining that his lack of tenacity is a key reason why Ward-Prowse is no longer fancied.
“Ward-Prowse has never been that type of player [aggressive], he’s a good passer of the ball and a free-kick specialist, but he doesn’t give them anything different,” Brown said.
“When the game is against you especially, there’s not a lot he can offer.
“Nuno knows that, and that’s why he doesn’t fancy him, because he likes his midfielders to be able to break up play and start counter-attacks.
“If they can move him on in January as it looks like they will try to do, they can then use that money to buy somebody who is better suited to the system.”
This isn’t the first time Nuno has decided to part company with Ward-Prowse, having cut his loan spell at Nottingham Forest short midway through 2024/2025 after barely playing him at the City Ground.
Nuno doesn’t appear to have changed his mind on Ward-Prowse since last season, with it now appearing inevitable that he has no long-term future at the London Stadium.
