Everton are reportedly considering signing James Ward-Prowse, who has been stuck at West Ham United since the arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Toffees have a history of offering transfer lifelines, having welcomed Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City in the summer and since being linked with Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee.
Their decision to loan Grealish out this summer has so far gone as well as they could have wished. The Premier League winner is essentially back to his best form and is likely to play a crucial role in the outcome of Everton’s season.
Full of praise for his summer arrival, Everton boss David Moyes recently told talkSPORT: “Jack has been really good. He has helped us keep the ball better, we are ahead of the numbers in terms of possession.
“His goals were huge, I somehow made him understand that it’s good to be a passer but it’s even better to be a scorer. He gave us real strength in the way he played.
“He and Iliman Ndiaye played really well and probably changed the way we were, we wanted to evolve and become better and these two players give us that opportunity.
“He’s an incredible character, he loves his football, he watches and listens, which a lot of modern players don’t do so much, but Jack loves his football and Tuchel has a really tough job. [picking the squad]”.
With Zirkzee already linked with a similar move from Man United and now Ward-Prowse emerging as a target, 2026 could be all about the revival of impressive players on Merseyside.
Everton now exploring Ward-Prowse transfer
As reported by TeamTalk’s Dean Jones, Everton are currently exploring the possibility of signing Ward-Prowse in January. The midfielder has received the cold shoulder from Nuno since arriving at West Ham and is now almost ‘certain’ to leave the London club.
A reunion with Moyes could therefore be considered. Ward-Prowse made 51 appearances for the Scot during their time together at West Ham, scoring seven goals and assisting 11 others in an impressive run. Now frozen in London, his former manager could offer him a much-needed lifeline.
It’s easy to forget the quality the former Southampton star can offer these days, but it’s worth remembering that Ward-Prowse is just one free-kick goal away from equaling David Beckham’s Premier League record of 18 direct goals. This is the unique quality he could offer to Everton, who would suddenly take their set pieces to a whole new level.
Moyes knows all about Ward-Prowse’s specialty, having praised the West Ham midfielder – telling reporters in 2023: “We could have scored four or five from a corner.
“We’ve been a decent set-piece team, maybe without the word ‘specialist’, but I think we’ve got a specialist now in Ward-Prowse. He’s contributing to us and our results at the moment.”
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