Nottingham Forest signed James Ward-Prowse on loan back in August but he’s now back at West Ham United after failing to impress.
The 30-year-old was somewhat unlucky. He starred in the 1-0 win over Liverpool in September and was playing really well until getting sent off in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea a month later.
That saw him lose his place in the Forest team at a time when the Reds kicked on. Subsequently, he was forced to feed on scraps in terms of game time and never regained his permanent place in the heart of midfield.
Ward-Prowse starred in the FA Cup win over Luton but by then the writing was on the wall and with Graham Potter replacing Julen Lopetegui at West Ham, the decision was taken to recall him.
On Saturday, he made his first start for the Hammers since returning to the club. It proved a successful one too as West Ham stunned Arsenal and won 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
West Ham fans react to the performance of James Ward-Prowse
It was a brilliant return for Ward-Prowse and perhaps Forest will have been intrigued by this level of performance from a player who wasn’t deemed good enough for regular game time under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The fans took to social media and it would appear that most supporters weren’t even sure why the Hammers made the decision to let Ward-Prowse go out on loan to Forest in the first place.
Another impressed supporter preached: “Why did we ever loan JWP? What a fantastic member of the squad he is, bar being outpaced by a goalkeeper.”
It was no surprise to see the West Ham fans buzzing about the one key attribute that Ward-Prowse brings to the party – set pieces!
One fan said: “James Ward-Prowse is back, which means West Ham have officially reactivated set-piece merchant mode. We’ve been starving all season. Feed us, JWP.”
Finally, a buzzing West Ham fan posted: “JWP was outstanding today! Remind me which clown thought it was a good idea to send him out on loan! Or was that the work of two clowns.”
Ward-Prowse way down the pecking order at Forest
Letting Ward-Prowse return to West Ham seemed like the only viable thing to do. He wasn’t even on the bench for the 7-0 win over Brighton, with both Ibrahim Sangare and Danilo both now fit.
Still, Ward-Prowse was a great professional behind the scenes at Forest. As a result, there is no surprise that he’s made an immediate impact at West Ham helping them to this huge win.
Ward-Prowse will hope to play a big part in West Ham’s season between now and the end of May. The Hammers are comfortably safe from relegation now and things can start looking up at the London Stadium.
The midfielder was perhaps the right player at the wrong time for Forest. The club were right to terminate his loan spell and it’s perhaps a shame that the Reds didn’t see more of him.
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