Cast your mind back to January 2025. Graham Potter had just taken charge of West Ham, and he showed no urgency to recruit new players as he assessed his squad. In fact, it wasn’t until the very end of that January transfer window that Potter made the hurried decision to recall James Ward-Prowse from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest. That recall felt like an afterthought, with Ward-Prowse seemingly never in the manager’s immediate plans to anchor the Hammers midfield.
Fast forward to now, and the former Southampton man now appears to be a fixture in Potter’s engine room. Some have begun to wonder whether there is any circumstance in which the Hammers gaffer would drop JWP under any circumstance?
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For many, it’s difficult to see whether he actually deserves the status of seemingly being undroppable. After all, Ward-Prowse hasn’t exactly produced a string of standout performances in claret and blue.
That’s why today’s clash at the London Stadium against Tottenham Hotspur could prove significant. For the first time, Potter has genuine alternatives. The £20 million signing of Soungoutou Magassa from Monaco gives him the chance to freshen things up, while Mateus Fernandes—who impressed on his debut against Nottingham Forest—offers another option to revamp the midfield.
If Ward-Prowse still finds himself in the starting XI against Spurs, it will raise real questions about whether he is entrenched in Potter’s plans for the long term. It’s certainly going to make fascinating reading when the team sheets are announced later today.