Antonio Conte will be hoping to see new arrivals at Tottenham in various positions this summer. The Italian wants at least six new names at Spurs, and would like some of these to be more experienced players in order to continue building a squad with a strong mentality.
The Lilywhites secured Champions League football for next season, after their fourth place finish in the Premier League, which will give them an added boost in attracting players to N17. The North London club have already been linked with players across the world.
Free agents in the summer Fraser Forster, Christian Eriksen and Ivan Perisic have all been linked, with the former's deal seemingly close. With Tottenham's £150million investment from ENIC, there will also be some players the club spend money on, with the likes of Alessandro Bastoni and Filip Kostic already heavily linked.
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However, if Conte looks a bit closer to home, he could find a player with great potential and someone who could strengthen Spurs. James Ward-Prowse is Southampton's current captain and is known for his quality set-piece taking, something Pep Guardiola has previously commented on.
"They [Southampton] have the best free-kick taker I have seen in my life in Ward-Prowse," the Man City boss admitted in 2020. Earlier this year, the 27-year-old's midfield partner Oriol Romeu, was also full of praise for his Saints teammate.
"He is an unbelievable player, the way he works," Romeu explained. "He always finds a good option, he never gives the ball away, he works the hardest, he runs the longest. Ward-Prowse is probably going to be one of the most important players for this club."
This season, the midfielder scored 10 goals and registered five assists in his 36 Premier League appearances - an impressive return for a struggling side. And former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara says his former club could help bring out the best in Ward-Prowse.
"I’d love to see Spurs sign Perisic, who’s been playing left wing-back at Inter Milan," O'Hara told Grosvenor Sport. "I think Spurs can get hold of him, he’d be a great signing for the club.
"I'd love to see James Ward-Prowse in a Tottenham shirt too. I think he’s underachieving at Southampton.
"He’s a top player: set-pieces, delivery and scoring ability. I think he’d be perfect for the team, he would add loads of quality."
The England international could definitely bring a lot of good qualities to Spurs' side, with his set-piece ability alone something that Conte's side could do with improving. However, there could be some concern as if he is 'underachieving' at his current club; will he produce the same quality if he made the step up and moved to Tottenham?
However, Ward-Prowse has plenty of Premier League experience, something that would be an added bonus for the Italian. The 27-year-old also has experience at international level, playing with the likes of Harry Kane, and O'Hara went on to explain the need for a backup option to the England captain.
"He [Kane] will pick up injuries, we know that. He never lasts a whole season. They need someone to come in," the ex-Spurs man said.
"I’d love to say Gabriel Jesus, but is he going to play second fiddle to Harry Kane? I doubt it. But they need a really good, solid, goal-scoring centre-forward that doesn’t mind sitting on the bench.
"It’s such a difficult one trying to sign a striker for Tottenham because every single striker knows, if you’re coming to play for Tottenham you’re sat on the bench. You’re playing Carabao Cup games, FA Cup games and you might feature off the bench in the Champions League.
"But Harry Kane is the number one and he’ll always be the number one, so you’ve got to be prepared to play second fiddle and that’s hard for a player when you’re going to a huge football club, to accept you’re not going to start. It’s a difficult situation for Tottenham."
If Ward-Prowse made the move to Spurs and impressed Conte, he would certainly have to compete for his spot in the regular XI, but may not have the struggle of sitting on the bench every week. Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg have built up a good midfield partnership since the Uruguayan's arrival, and Oliver Skipp should be back in time for the next campaign.
However, with the amount of games Tottenham have there will have to be rotation. It may not be so easy for Spurs to get the Saints skipper if the 27-year-old was someone they decided to target.
"He has another four years on his contract here, he is happy here, he is our captain and he will stay here," Southampton boss Ralph Hassenhuttl explained earlier this month. There have been a number of other players linked with a move to Spurs and many have been more heavily linked then Ward-Prowse, but with the summer window not even open yet, a lot can still change.
