Kevin Phillips has told Arsenal to sign Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse this summer.
The Gunners have been working on strengthening their midfield for a number of seasons, and are yet to find their perfect partnership to bring real balance to the side.
While Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka have shown glimpses of what could be, their consistency alongside each other has been few and far between, while summer signing Albert Sambi Lokonga’s only appearance in 2022 thus far came when the Swiss midfielder was suspended.
Chris Wheatley talked up the possibility of Xhaka leaving this summer recently, and Phillips has told Arsenal that they should sign JWP from the Saints, a player that the manager ‘would love’ to have available to him.
“Ward-Prowse is the sort of player Arsenal need,” Phillips told the Football Insider.
“Technically he is a very, very good player and he’s a dead-ball specialist. He’s the sort of player Arteta would love in his squad I imagine.
“Could they get him out of Southampton? That’s the question. He just signed a new deal and I think he’s happy there. It would be a big test if Arsenal could knocking though. He could be persuaded to join.
“Ward-Prowse is the sort of player Arsenal need to be looking at in the summer. He’d compliment Partey well and let’s be honest, there’s not many better set-piece takers than him in the world.”
I have to admit, James isn’t one who I have imagined wants to move clubs, but I have always been a fan of his understated style of play. He ticks all the right boxes. Even without his amazing deadball skills, he’s always seemed to be one of the most consistent midfielders in the division, and I’ve never quite understood why he isn’t linked with moves away from St Mary’s summer upon summer.
That could well be about to change however, and who would begrudge him for eyeing a move ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with him currently on the fringes of the England squad.
Do you agree that a Partey-JWP partnership would be a spectacular one?
Patrick