West Ham managed to snap up  Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse for just £30m in the summer due to a lack of competition for his signature.

However, according to the Daily Telegraph, Chelsea could have been in the frame to sign the 28-year-old if they didn’t have an age limit on signings.

It is believed that the Blues never seriously considered pursuing Ward-Prowse as he is above 25, leaving the Hammers with a clear path to secure the midfielder’s services.

Ironically, Mauricio Pochettino’s side did recruit another player from Southampton, Romeo Lavia, but the Belgian international cost almost double the price (£58m) and he has been out injured since the start of the campaign.

West Ham have benefited from Chelsea’s decision

Clearly, the Irons have been the main beneficiaries from Chelsea’s poor recruitment strategy. You can bet that, if the Blues were involved, Ward Prowse’s price would have skyrocketed.

They were throwing money around, left, right and centre but, ultimately, the strict age criteria meant that West Ham didn’t need to pay over the odds.

Ward-Prowse’s form has been eye-catching

While many fans and pundits expected the England international to be a good addition to David Moyes‘s squad, nobody quite anticipated how big an impact he would have.

In his first six appearances, Ward-Prowse has scored 2 goals and racked up an impressive 5 assists. If he continues on that trajectory, he will be the red-hot favourite for Hammer of the Year, as well as being a genuine candidate for the Premier League’s Team of the Season.

Whether the midfielder can maintain his strong start, we shall have to wait and see, but there is no doubt that he was more than worth his £30m price tag.

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