James Ward-Prowse looks set for a January move away from West Ham after Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed the midfielder was not a part of his upcoming plans.
Ward-Prowse made the move to London Stadium in 2023 for a reported £30m transfer fee from Southampton, but he has struggled to make an impact for the Hammers.
The 31-year-old spent the first half of the 2024-25 campaign on loan with fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest when Nuno was in charge at the City Ground, but saw his season-long switch terminated early.
And he has fallen out of favour since Nuno replaced Graham Potter in September, with Ward-Prowse not making a single appearance under the former Wolves boss.
"The situation with James is clear from some time ago. I think he is not in the options, and it's for us to find the best solutions for his future," Nuno told reporters.
When further questioned whether Ward-Prowse's future would be playing elsewhere, Nuno responded: "I believe so.
"Meanwhile, he is here, and he is one of us, and we are trying to prepare all of them."
This weekend provides a welcome break for West Ham and their struggles in the Premier League, with QPR their opponents in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Hammers were beaten 2-1 by relegation rivals Forest on Tuesday, leaving them seven points adrift of safety after 21 games of their league campaign.
Indeed, the Opta supercomputer has assigned West Ham an 89.3% chance of being relegated to the Championship in its season simulations for the rest of 2025-26.
"It is a tough situation that we are in. We are aware, but at the same time, I realise there are 17 games to go. A lot of football to be played," Nuno conceded.
"What we have to do is focus on ourselves, on our day-to-day. Look for that win and that win we need.
"Don't be obsessed about the gap. Try to avoid; if you start looking every time at the table you get more anxious."
West Ham have attempted to combat their current situation by making signings, with January recruits Valentin Castellanos and Pablo making their debuts against Forest.
And Nuno expects more activity this month, revealing: "What we have to make sure is the players that join us come with a purpose and come to help.
"Like, I think we saw with Taty [Valentin Castellanos] and Pablo [Felipe], talented more than anything and fighting and trying to help the team," he said.
"We are working hard as a club to try and bring players in. We need to rebalance our squad. It is clear.
"We need to bring players that make us stronger for the fight – that is the main objective as a club. We are here to fight.
"Let's try to focus on ourselves and what we have to do to compete in the 17 games in the league. I believe it is possible."
Löfdrinkwater
0
hmm interesting 🤔