DONE DEAL:West Ham has successfully signed there long time target who is faster than Declan Rice 

DONE DEAL:West Ham has successfully signed there long time target who is faster than Declan Rice

West Ham United are looking to bolster their squad ahead of 2023/24 and have been linked with James Ward-Prowse and Reiss Nelson.

West Ham United have been linked with moves for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse and Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson and both would be ‘huge signings’ at the London Stadium, according to journalist Paul Brown.

What’s the latest transfer news involving James Ward-Prowse and Reiss Nelson?
As per Football Insider, West Ham are keen on a move for England international Ward-Prowse this summer, though they face competition from the likes of Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur to acquire the £100k-a-week ace.

The report states that Irons boss David Moyes has priotised a ‘creative midfielder’ as he looks to bolster his squad and Ward-Prowse has emerged as an ideal candidate to freshen up his engine room amid uncertainty over the futures of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek at the London Stadium.

Scottish boss Moyes has also fueled speculation that West Ham could try to sign the the Southampton captain by indicating that he would like to bring more homegrown talent into his side, stating in an interview cited by The Evening Standard: “I think I would like to add more a little bit more of British players or homegrown players if we possibly could.”

West Ham have also been mooted with making a swoop for Arsenal attacker Nelson in the off-season; nevertheless, Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion and AC Milan also admire the player.

In a turn of events, it looks like Nelson, who is set to be out-of-contract at the end of this season due to his £15k-a-week deal dwindling down, could be set to sign a new long-term agreement at the Emirates Stadium for four years with the option for another 12 months, as per The Athletic.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown thinks both players would be welcome additions at the London Stadium heading into 2023/24.

How have both players got on for their respective clubs this term?
Ward-Prowse suffered the agony of relegation this campaign with Southampton. However, his individual performances have been at a very high standard and in no way deserving of such a cruel fate.

In 2022/23, the Englishman made 45 appearances in all competitions for the Saints, racking up 11 goals and five assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

According to WhoScored, Ward-Prowse managed to thread through an average of 1.9 key passes per fixture in the Premier League this term, demonstrating his ingenuity in the middle of the park.

On the flip side, Arsenal winger Nelson featured 18 times for Arsenal this campaign, encompassing all competitions, registering three goals and three assists, as shown on Transfermarkt.

Labelled as “important” by Mikel Arteta, there is no surprise that the Gunners are keen to tie him down to an extension, which may in the end thwart West Ham’s reported advances to try and bring in the 23-year-old.

Either way, both players would be exciting arrivals in east London this summer and Moyes will be keen to add several players to his squad ahead of

With Andrea Radrizzani having also reached an agreement to acquire Sampdoria, yet unwilling to reveal whether he will be leaving Yorkshire too, it could be expected that the Italian will crave an instant promotion so that he can sell for the highest possible price next year.

In a bid to achieve this, the report also states that Steven Gerrard has emerged as the frontrunner for this vacancy. Given his latest spell in management, fans have every reason to be wary of this appointment.

Is Steven Gerrard worse than Jesse Marsch?
Whilst many fans could struggle to think of bosses that were worse than Jesse Marsch, given he arguably was the main factor in their relegation last term, it is perhaps easy to forget just how woeful the former Liverpool midfielder was in the Aston Villa dugout.

His team, which was one laden with quality such as Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendia and Douglas Luiz, had won just twice in 12 Premier League games before his dismissal, having been thumped 3-0 by Fulham to put the final nail in his coffin.

When delving deeper into his tenure at Villa Park, it was arguably as underwhelming as the American’s at Elland Road, with the only difference between these huge clubs’ respective fates being the timing of their sacking and the choice of successor.

After all, the 43-year-old would win just 13 matches across his 40 games in charge, at a points-per-game average of just 1.18, via Transfermarkt.

Whilst Marsch’s dropped to 1.16 per match, having won 11 in 37, the gulf in talent between these two squads is startling.

Not only this, but Gerrard showcased a stubbornness that would simply not adapt well to the Championship. His narrow 4-3-3 formation, which was described as “poor” by Gabby Agbonlahor, often neglected wingers and was a philosophy he relentlessly stuck with despite the poor results.

The former RB Salzburg boss would emulate such a headstrong outlook, again retaining his failing formation until his final days.

Such was his underperformance with such a top team, journalist Josh Bunting even wrote an impassioned plea for Villa to dismiss the ex-Rangers manager back in October, claiming:

Aston Villa need to do what’s right for the football club, can’t keep Steven Gerrard for his name-sake. Tonight again he’s lost in a tactical battle, Villa are so confusing you cannot read them, the attack is clueless when it has the potential to really work. The balance isn’t there.”

The disparity between Gerrard and Marsch is almost non-existent, and given how Unai Emery would go on to lead that side to a European spot, the former’s work is made all the more embarrassing. At the very least, both Javi Gracia and Allardyce failed to improve Leeds’ disappointing squad.

Should Radrizzani remain incensed on appointing this young boss, he may well fall very short of earning that speedy return to the top flight that this great club craves. Indeed, he bares so many negative similarities with their former boss who doomed them to the drop.