James Ward-Prowse opens up about ‘heart-breaking’ Southampton exit.

FORMER Saints captain James Ward-Prowse has spoken out about his departure from the club last summer, calling it a “heart-break”.

The 29-year-old joined West Ham in a £30 million transfer following Southampton’s relegation to the Championship.

Ward-Prowse, an 11-time England international, made 410 appearances for the Saints, scoring 55 goals and assisting 52 times.

However, Ward-Prowse has now spoken out about his final few weeks at Southampton before joining the Hammers in August 2023.

Ward-Prowse told Fozcast: “It was tough, I joined Southampton as an eight-year-old and it’s a fantastic club.

“It’s the club that gave me the opportunity not only as a player but as a person to grow and develop.

“It gave me the opportunity that every young boy wants to reach the Premier League and become a footballer.

“It was disappointing the way it ended. You never know in your career if you will be at one club all your life.

“I had a really big chunk of my career there but it was disappointing to end the way it did, to be relegated.

“Having been watching from afar this year it has been great to see them doing so well, it was incredibly tough to leave.”

Fans thought Ward-Prowse would stay with the club for another year to help them get back on track.

After being cut from Gareth Southgate’s preliminary selection for EURO 2020, the midfielder was hoping to re-enter England’s lineup.

He admitted: “You have the people that will speak about loyalty and you’re trying to balance that up with maximising your career.

“Not being in the England squad at the time was a big factor as I knew there was a European Championship at the end of the season.

“I had to maximise my career and I knew I gave myself a better opportunity if I was playing regularly in the Premier League.

“Playing in Europe again was a big factor in pushing myself. I want to look back at my career and know I gave everything to achieve the most.

“It was a real heart-break, I owe everything to Southampton – it’s a fantastic club and continues to be so.”

Ward-Prowse led Saints out for the first match of the Championship season before a contract to move him elsewhere was completed.

Saints defeated Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at Hillsborough Stadium, with Ward-Prowse setting up Che Adams’ winning goal.

Ward-Prowse stated: “It was a really difficult time.

“We knew the squad would look different going into the season and there was a lot of uncertainty around a lot of players.

“I pride myself on my professionalism and a big thing for me was remaining as professional as I could be for the group.

“Whether I was there or not, I wanted to help the manager prepare the team as best as I could and I wanted to give everything I could.

“I have come away from the situation with my head held high and I gave everything in my 20 years there, so hopefully people remember that.”

Saudi club is reportedly ‘hoping to persuade’ Southampton player to join them this summer.

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