West Ham's Nuno announcement divides Southampton fans over James Ward-Prowse

West Ham’s recent Nuno announcement has divided Southampton fans over a potential James Ward-Prowse return this summer.

Southampton couldn’t be any more uncertain for the 2026/27 Championship season than they are right now. The Saints have no clue whether boss Tonda Eckert and star players like Leo Scienza, Shea Charles and Caspar Jander among others will stay put following the brutal ‘Spygate’ scandal.

Then there are manager links for Scott Parker, Sean Dyche and others which can turn to fruition over the summer. Southampton fans are also debating which players the club should keep hold of among the current roster and the returning loan players. And now, West Ham’s recent Nuno announcement has divided fan opinions again.

In their own words, West Ham confirmed: “We held meetings with Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo early this week and are pleased to confirm that he has expressed his continued commitment to the Club – as we have to him.”

Plus, knowing Nuno’s recent habits of keeping former Saints midfielder James Ward-Prowse out of his plans at Nottingham Forest and West Ham, it’s a fair guess to assume he will ignore Ward-Prowse again next season.

So could a Championship reunion happen for JWP and Southampton in 2026, 3 years on from leaving St. Mary’s for £30m? Well, Southampton fans have mixed opinions about James Ward-Prowse.

Southampton fans divided over potential James Ward-Prowse return

For those saying yes to James Ward-Prowse’s Southampton return, their reasons are driven by a mass midfield exodus. One fan mirrored these feelings saying: “With Ori, Jander and Charles most likely gone he(Ward-Prowse) could be a good cheap option. As in transfer fee, wages would obviously need to be negotiated down.”

Being reduced to a benchwarmer at West Ham since the past two seasons, it’s certain the Hammers will accept a modest fee. But Ward-Prowse was on £115k weekly wages when he joined West Ham in 2023 which won’t be manageable for Southampton without Premier League revenue.

If the 31-year-old agrees to a massive pay cut and shows a willingness to return then things might be different. Reason being, Ward-Prowse previously ditched Championship football at Southampton ahead of the 2023/24 season in the hope of maintaining his England national team status.

That decision didn’t go down well among many Southampton fans. One of them raised this argument saying: “No thanks. He left. We moved on. You can never go back.”

On the topic of club returns, it’s worth noting previous cases of Theo Walcott and Adam Lallana. Walcott started brilliantly upon his 2020 return but soon got riddled with muscle injuries and hamstring complaints. He finally departed Southampton in 2023 after a meagre return of 5 goals and 5 assists in his second stint across three seasons.

Lallana had a similar bright start with 2 assists from the first 5 Premier League games of the 2024/25 season. Very soon injuries plagued him, former Saints boss Ivan Juric left him to rot on the bench and eventually Lallana finished the season as interim boss Simon Rusk’s assistant.

A third Southampton fan recalled these club return incidents, adding: “Think we have all learnt from Lallana and Walcott how this would work out… better off left alone”

Another fan jumped in with a slightly different view point. He insisted Ward-Prowse could still be useful for Southampton suggesting: “1st season at West Ham, 37 games, 7 goals. Very good for DMF. Then 42/1 for West Ham, NF and Burnley in 2 seasons. Why he fell off a cliff, don’t know. If can get free/cheap, sensible pay, yes”

Both ways, it’s crystal clear that bringing back Ward-Prowse back can impact the development of Southampton’s rising midfield talents. Players like Cam Bragg and Barnaby Williams are waiting in the wings for their chance and have done well whenever trusted.

Southampton staying in the Championship for another season can aid Bragg and Williams growth with more minutes and first team responsibilities passed onto them. That said, is it worth risking their progress to have Ward-Prowse around for a couple of seasons at max.

One Saints fan doesn’t think it’s worth it. He insisted: “JWP? I’d rather Bragg steps up full-time.”

As said above, Southampton fans have mixed takes on Ward-Prowse’s homecoming with more No’s than Yes’. There is no such serious transfer rumour going on at present, but things can change quickly in the transfer market, so, let’s see what happens next.