James Ward-Prowse back in the Premier League, snapped up by West Ham. Will the free kicks champion beat Beckham’s record?

For long-time Premier League fans, this may be unusual – James Ward-Prowse will no longer be wearing the red and white of Southampton, he will now don the traditional burgundy and blue of West Ham. It was the Hammers who brought the experienced midfielder into their ranks.

Twenty years. That’s how long James Ward-Prowse spent at Southampton, where he became an excellent midfielder and one of the stars of the Premier League. During that time he played 410 games for Saints with a record of 55+54, became club captain, played in the EFL Cup final, the Europa League and made it into the England national team.

However, even he failed to keep Saints in the Premier League last season and they wandered into the Championship. It was clear that there would be interest in their captain in the top flight, but the question was whether he would be interested in leaving the club where he had been since the age of 8.

We now know the answer. While it certainly wasn’t an easy decision, James Ward-Prowse eventually headed to West Ham for £30 million. The Hammers have lost their star man Declan Rice this season and with Paqueta’s departure very much imminent, it’s no wonder David Moyes is strengthening the midfield ranks.

Edson Álvarez has already arrived from Ajax and now the club have officially confirmed the arrival of Ward-Prowse, who was reportedly interested in the club earlier in the summer. David Moyes is also praising the latest signing.

“I am delighted to bring in a player of such quality. He has performed brilliantly in the Premier League over the last decade and has regularly put up great numbers. His leadership skills will also be a big plus for us,” the Hammers manager told the club’s website.

He has signed a contract at the London Stadium until 2027 and will wear the number 7 jersey – Pablo Fornals has taken the number 8, which Ward-Prowse played with at Southampton in recent seasons. He has also previously worn the number 16 on his back, but has not chosen that, perhaps out of respect for Hammers legend Mark Noble.

Ward-Prowse played his last game for Saints in the first round of this year’s Championship and he said goodbye in style – helping to win against Sheffield Wednesday with an assist on the winning goal in the 87th minute.

It will be interesting to see how he copes with a change of jersey for the first time in his career, but not only that. If football fans are asked what comes to mind in connection with the name James Ward-Prowse, the vast majority of them will answer unequivocally: a goal from a free kick.

It was with this discipline that the 28-year-old midfielder entertained most of all. Last season he scored 3 times this way, no one was better. In total, he has scored 17 goals from free kicks in his career in the Premier League, which puts him in 2nd place in history. Only the legendary David Beckham is ahead of him with 18 successful shots.

So perhaps we shouldn’t be asking if Ward-Prowse will surpass Beckham, but when will it happen. There is probably no doubt that the Hammers’ new signing will immediately become the chief enforcer of these situations. Moreover, Ward-Prowse is still only 28 years old, and he probably still has some of those years in the English top flight ahead of him.

It’s not even out of the question that he will surpass Beckham with 2 successful direct kicks in one game – in fact, he did that in his career too, in the 20/21 season against Aston Villa. His next opportunity will come this Sunday when West Ham welcome Chelsea at home.

Sources: West Ham United, Sky Sports, Twitter