West Ham's £850,000 summer transfer could cost them promotion

James Ward-Prowse has continued to shine since his transfer to Southampton, and picked up his first goal contribution on the weekend in a 1-1 draw against Lincoln City.

The midfielder was clearly out of Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans this campaign at West Ham United, which led to him securing a £850,000 move back to the Saints in the summer transfer window.

This was despite Southampton being direct promotion rivals to the Hammers, as both clubs look to return to the Premier League.

Now, the true cost of allowing the 31-year-old to move to the South Coast club is becoming clearer by the day after he put in a man-of-the-match performance against Lincoln.

Ward-Prowse was simply fantastic throughout and showcased how important he is set to be for the Saints’ promotion push.

As a result, questions need to be asked about who greenlit such a move at West Ham in the summer window.

James Ward-Prowse dominates match against Lincoln City

Ward-Prowse has had a very successful return to Southampton.

On his debut, he helped oversee a 5-1 victory against Millwall before they drew against Birmingham City in the following fixture.

While the Saints will be disappointed to come away with only a draw against Lincoln on the weekend, Ward-Prowse can be proud of his performance.

According to Fotmob on 7 September, against the Imps he created the most chances of the game at six, had a 0.22 xA, completed 97 per cent of his passes, had two shots, completed all eight of his long balls, made three clearances as well as six recoveries.

Therefore, if this form continues, Southampton will have an excellent chance of promotion, and could end up pipping the Hammers to one of the top two spots.

What are the odds of West Ham getting promoted?

As it stands, West Ham are the second-favourites to get automatically promoted, according to Opta.

Middlesbrough are the current favourites with a 35.44 per cent chance, followed by the Hammers with a 35.12 per cent chance.

Wolves are next up at 21.82 per cent, with Southampton fourth favourites at 19.42 per cent.

However, it remains to be seen who will secure a top-two spot in the Championship come the end of the season.