SAINTS captain James Ward-Prowse has signed a fresh five-year deal at St Mary’s and insisted: “I still have a lot left to give to this football club.” Speculation had been rife about the England midfielder’s future this summer. The Daily Echo understands Aston Villa submitted a £25million bid which was rejected by the south coast side last month. But the 26-year-old midfielder today put pen-to-paper on the fresh deal, which strengthens an allegiance to Saints that stretches all the way back to when he was in the academy at eight.
James Ward-Prowse said: “I’m over the moon. I think I’m probably the happiest man in the world right now. To come to this decision, I think has been massive and is a big step forward. To commit my future again to this football club is something I’m incredibly proud of and a new chapter begins now for me. It’s probably the first time in my career that I’ve had that link away and that talk, but I think I was very keen to sit down and talk to the club and it’s worked both ways; they’ve sat down and told me their admiration for me and the way they want me to lead the team – and this club has done so much for me, I can’t put into the words the opportunities and chances that they’ve given me and I’m incredibly grateful for the club for doing that. I’m not finished yet here, I still have a lot left to give to this football club and I want to be there leading this team and ensuring I can give everything back and repay that faith the club have shown in me since I was eight-years-old.”
Ward-Prowse has already made 323 first-team appearances for Saints, becoming only the 28th player in club history, and the 19th of the post-war era, to surpass 300 games. Earlier this year he became the first midfielder in Premier League history to complete successive seasons without missing a minute of action. Ward-Prowse played 90 minutes of Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park and is set to start in the St Mary’s season opener against Manchester United on Sunday.
