Wilcox updates as Southampton reject first Ward-Prowse transfer bid

The Hammers made a bid reportedly worth £25million for the 28 year old on Tuesday with the Daily Echo reporting shortly after that Saints would not entertain this price tag.

Ward-Prowse has made a club-record 343 Premier League appearances for the St Mary’s side, scoring 49 goals, but was unable to help stave off relegation last campaign.

The England international has been tipped for a return to the top-flight but Saints will not let their skipper go unless his valuation is met.

READ MORE: Will Smallbone excited to be back at Southampton after Stoke City loan 

Wilcox, who arrived as director of football in the summer but has been working behind the scenes since January while still a Manchester City employee, confirmed they had rejected a bid.

And asked whether West Ham had returned with a second, he responded: “Not as I know, I think when a club makes an offer, very rarely is it their full and final offer.

“There is a lot of speculation in the media but we’re trying to not get bogged down in all of that – if you start reading every article, supporters and staff, you’d think we won’t have any players.

“It’s football but being transparent and aware that we have asset value and players other clubs want, and players want to go and play in the Premier League.

“Let’s not criticise them for that – I was relegated with Blackburn and I didn’t want to play in the Championship. I made the decision to stay and try and captain them back to the Premier League.”

Wilcox added: “There will always be players who aren’t willing to do that but I don’t think any player at Staplewood is happy we’ve been relegated, they don’t want to play in the Championship.

“If we get the right offer – we will consider it. Consider is an important word because we don’t have to sell, we’ve got a lot of asset value and it’s about how we rebuild the squad.”

Ward-Prowse is not the only Saints player with an ongoing pursuit for his signature from a Premier League club following relegation.

Romeo Lavia, 19, is the subject of a massive bid from Liverpool while Champions League Newcastle United have been looking to strike a deal for 20 year old Tino Livramento.

The Daily Echo asked Wilcox if he can offer an update on negotiations for the talented youngsters, who would return a huge profit on their initial transfer fees if they departed the club.  

“There will be players that start the season for us but leave later in the window and it’s real tricky for the manager and players to deal with, for their families and agents as well,” Wilcox responded.

“When there is transparency and honesty you can work through it. Every Championship club that has been relegated from the Premier League has this transition.

“There are players who have a Premier League market and players that think they have a Premier League market – managing this is a really tricky cocktail.

“I’ve been there and Russell has been there – we can relate to those experiences, you’ve got two choices as a player; get your head down or spit your dummy out.”

He continued: “I’ve been delighted with the way the players have got their heads down, whether they agree with the manager on certain things or not, they respect him as a person.

“We’ve got a very calm environment at Staplewood and although players have got things going on in the background, we are not seeing it too much.

“When I looked across the squad, I thought there is going to be a huge Premier League market for certain players – without naming names.

“I’ve got a responsibility to make the right recommendations to the football club on whether we should accept something and we can reinvest, whether it’s the right thing for the player or the club.

“In these situations, the best situation is to have a win-win agreement where it’s the best solution for all parties – but we’ve got a value on them.

“We’re a big football club that has been relegated to the Championship but we’ve got a value and we’re not going to allow our players to leave if we don’t feel it’s a win-win.

“If a club wants to take our players on the cheap and we feel as though we’re losing then that’s not a win-win agreement – there has to be a compromise.

“There will be situations where we say to players ‘I’m really sorry but the value is not there, you’re going to be with us in the Championship and have to generate your Premier League value’.

“These conversations are something that myself and Russell are having, Russell is having with the players and I’m having with the agents.

“Russell and I are keeping aware of all the situations we’ve got; I’ve got an idea of what the squad may look like but I’ve done six versions of that. If you could see my laptop now you’d see six versions of how the squad may look.”

Wilcox’s ambition is for Saints to become a top 10 Premier League club and he believes it can be done in a matter of years, despite relegation.

“We’ve got to have a balance of players that will get us to the Premier League but may not be with us on our Premier League journey and players who will still be with us after we get there,” he said.

“I’d love to keep every player but that’s not going to be the case. With top players, there’s always a market – we’re strong with asset value on the pitch.

“There are players that are commanding a lot of money from top clubs, the problem is when you get relegated without that and you can’t regenerate cash to reinvest in the squad.

“Where we are really lucky is that we have generated asset value in the squad when you look at the youth running through it. The value is incredible. There are some amazing signings for the club.

“When we get back to the Premier League, they are going to be so much more prepared to play in the Premier League – the players we’ve signed are capable of doing that.”