Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Glenn Hoddle has claimed that Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse would be a “major asset” for Spurs if they signed him.
The 26-year-old Englishman has spent the entirety of his career with the Saints having graduated from the club’s academy (per Transfermarkt).
Having made his debut for the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit in the League Cup as a 16-year-old in 2011, he has gone on to make almost 300 appearances for Southampton.
His current deal with the Saints runs until the summer of 2025 and the midfielder has a hefty market value of £22.5m according to Transfermarkt.
During the latest episode of The Glenn Hoddle Footy Show, the former Spurs gaffer heaped praise on Ward-Prowse and aired that he would be a “major asset” for Jose Mourinho.
He said: “I’ve been saying [his set-pieces are quality] for a long time, he’s up there with David Beckham. David Beckham was fantastic.
“It’s not just his ability in and around the D, it’s the corners and it’s the wide free-kicks – he puts it on the spot and he puts it on nine times out of 10.
“That is worth its weight in gold, it really is.
“When he’s in and around that penalty area, you can see the fear in the wall and you can see the fear in the goalkeeper’s eyes and they’re trying to find a way to put him off.
“I think his all-round game has come on leaps and bounds, but as a set-play artist, there’s no one out there in football at the moment that is better.
“I think he’d be a major asset to someone like Tottenham, for instance, or he could go and play in Everton’s team tomorrow.”
TIF Thoughts on what Glenn Hoddle said about James Ward-Prowse…
As can be seen in what the former Spurs gaffer had to say, he believes that there is no one better than Ward-Prowse at free-kicks and he could be a “major asset” for the north London outfit.
Would you like to see Spurs sign James Ward-Prowse?
No, he's not that good
Yes, he's a class player
Certainly, this season the 26-year-old midfielder has been in stellar form in the Premier League in his outings for the Saints (per WhoScored).
The average rating which he has earned has been better than all but two Spurs players, those being Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.
So, that would certainly suggest that Ward-Prowse could be a “major asset” for Mourinho, should the Portuguese manager ever be tempted to bring him to north London.