James Ward-Prowse has signed a new five-year deal at Southampton to put an end to the transfer speculation that has been surrounding him throughout the summer, declaring "I'm not finished here yet".
Ward-Prowse has spent his entire career to date at St Mary's, having initially graduated to Southampton's senior squad as a 16-year-old back in 2011.
The midfielder is revered as the most influential player in the Saints' current squad, and has been attracting attention from a number of clubs in the current transfer window, including Aston Villa, but has ultimately decided to remain on the South Coast for the foreseeable future.
What's been said?
Aston Villa had reportedly been weighing up a £50 million ($68m) bid for Ward-Prowse, who has also been linked with Tottenham and Liverpool, but he the 26-year-old is still fully committed to Southampton and wants to repay the faith the club has shown him over the years.
“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," he said after the announcement was made on Thursday.
“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 here yet, 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's Southampton career
Ward-Prowse has appeared in 323 games in all competitions for Southampton over the last decade, with 270 of those outings coming in the Premier League.
The England international has recorded 33 goals and 40 assists to date, and is the current captain of Ralph Hasenhuttl's side.
Ward-Prowse will be back in action for Southampton on Sunday when they play host to Manchester United, where they will be aiming to bounce back from an opening day defeat to Everton.
Further reading
- Arsenal closing in on £30m Ramsdale transfer
- Bamford signs contract extension at Leeds through to 2026