Southampton duo James Ward-Prowse and Kyle Walker-Peters could soon start ‘attracting interest’ from the Premier League’s top four, journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed.
The Lowdown: Great season
The Saints pair have been in excellent form this season and have duly been rewarded by respective call-ups to Gareth Southgate’s England side.
According to statistical analysis carried out by WhoScored, Ward-Prowse has been Ralph Hasenhuttl’s player of the season thus far, earning himself a strong 7.04 rating. Walker-Peters trails closely behind in second, with a solid 6.94 rating.
As a result, a number of transfer rumours have arisen linking them with moves to a multitude of Premier League clubs, such as Arsenal in Ward-Prowse's case.
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The Latest: O’Rourke’s claim on Southampton duo…
O’Rourke has said that he would not be surprised if a number of top-four Premier League clubs are interested in signing the Southampton duo in the summer.
Talking with GiveMeSport, he claimed: “You wouldn’t be surprised if both of those players were attracting interest from the top four, top six clubs in the Premier League.
“They’ve been excellent for Southampton and earning England recognition now as well, Kyle Walker-Peters.
“I think the big thing for Walker-Peters is he took that step away from Tottenham in search of first-team football, and that move has definitely paid off for him, breaking into the England team.
“And I’m sure he’s attractive to a lot of clubs because he can play right-back or left-back, and he’d be a great player to have in your squad.”
The Verdict: Saints need to keep hold of them
Both players have proven to be essential to Hasenhuttl’s side this season. As Saints captain, Ward-Prowse has been crucial in maintaining the club’s Premier League status since their promotion from the Championship in 2011/12.
The 27-year-old has been hailed one of the world’s best dead-ball specialists, having now scored 13 league goals directly from free kicks, taking him above Thierry Henry and Gianfranco Zola in the Premier League’s rankings into second in the all-time list.
Meanwhile, Walker-Peters has demonstrated his versatility this season, having played the majority of the campaign in an unfavoured left-hand role, where he has nonetheless accumulated six goal contributions in his 30 outings across all competitions.
Therefore, if either player decides to leave in the summer, it would no doubt come as a huge blow to the south coast club, given their aforementioned importance to the Southampton cause.
In other news: Ralph Hasenhuttl confirms Shane Long concern