Liverpool had considered an investment on James Ward-Prowse late in the window but ultimately missed out on the Southampton midfielder.
A recent report from Goal has offered new insights on Liverpool’s market performance in the 2021 summer transfer window. The Premier League giants have faced a lot of criticism even from their own sets of fans for a relatively tame window, in which they managed to secure a deal for only one new player in Ibrahima Konate.
However, it appears the Reds had considered moves a few other players but ultimately missed out in the end. One of those options was James Ward-Prowse, who had been earlier been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, even though neither clubs were able to finalize a deal.
It appears Southampton were persistent in keeping hold of their club captain after losing a lot of talent over the summer. Talismanic forward Danny Ings joined Aston Villa while the experienced defensive duo of Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand both joined UEFA Europa League representatives Leicester City.
But among them, Ward-Prowse would certainly have been the crown jewel, having enjoyed immense success at Southampton ever since his breakthrough in professional football. With 326 competitive appearances, the 26-year-old is, in fact, one of the most experienced homegrown stars currently playing in the Premier League, and has developed a repuration for his work ethic and creativity in midfield.
Indeed, the English international has registered 42 career assists during his time at Southampton. His tally of 34 goals is also quite impressive for a central midfielder, which is perhaps why Liverpool were looking at him, ideally as a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum.
While the Reds have instead opted to put faith in their current options in the likes of Fabinho, Thiago, Jordan Henderson, and Curtis Jones, Ward-Prowse could have been a massive coup for Jurgen Klopp as he could have immediately hit the ground running using his experience and effectiveness in the second line of press.
Southampton and Liverpool have a strong history of doing business together as well, and it will be interesting to see whether the Merseyside giants return to the market for Ward-Prowse in January.
It won’t be surprising to see them use former Saints academy star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a potential makeweight in the deal to sign the 26-year-old English international, who is more than capable of becoming an asset for Liverpool in the years to come.
