Jamie O’Hara wishes Spurs signed 28-year-old before he joined London rivals

Jamie O’Hara has admitted that he wishes that Tottenham Hotspur had beaten West Ham United to the signature of James Ward-Prowse in the summer.

As soon as Southampton went down last season, it was clear that Ward-Prowse would be leaving St Mary’s in the summer, with the only question being which Premier League side he would move to.

While West Ham appeared to be favourites for the 28-year-old’s signature right from the start, there were also suggestions that Spurs could swoop for him, with The Daily Star claiming at the start of August that the Lilywhites were considering hijacking the Hammers’ move for the midfielder.

The report revealed that scouts from Tottenham watched the 28-year-old in action several times towards the end of last season and that the North London club had identified him as a potential replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

However, in the end, Hojbjerg stayed put at Spurs while David Moyes’ men secured Ward-Prowse’s services for £30m, with the England international hitting the ground running at the London Stadium.

O’Hara wishes Tottenham signed Ward-Prowse

When asked about the former Southampton’s captain ability on set-pieces, O’Hara told talkSPORT: “He’s so much more than that as a player. He gets labelled as a set-piece specialist, but genuinely, he’s got so much more to his game than people think.

“I think he’s fantastic, I really do. I wish Tottenham had signed him.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

Ward-Prowse is a decent player but I would not say he is outstanding in open play. He has a good engine, vision and passing range, and one can argue that he would have been a decent addition to the squad. 

However, I am not convinced he would have improved our starting eleven. There is a reason why none of the top sides seriously considered a move for the 28-year-old.