Southampton are set to confirm the signing of Flynn Downes on loan from West Ham United for the season.
According to the Daily Mail, Downes is joining Saints to replace the outgoing James Ward-Prowse, who headed in the other direction yesterday for a fee of £30 million.
Following Ward-Prowse’s move and West Ham’s links to signing other midfielders such as Josh Brownhill and Scott McTominay, it will mean that Downes will be falling down the pecking order at the Hammers and is more likely to move on.
Would Flynn Downes be a good signing for Southampton?
The 24-year-old joined West Ham last summer from Swansea City for a fee believed to be around £8 million on a five-year-deal, and he made 21 appearances in the Premier League last season. He also made nine appearances in the Europa Conference League, helping West Ham win their first European trophy since 1980.
The former England U20 international started out at Ipswich Town, and spent the second half of the 17/18 season on loan at Luton Town, helping them to a second place finish in League Two, getting them promotion back to the third tier of English football. He then left for Swansea in August 2021 for an undisclosed fee.
He has proven himself to be a quality squad player in the Premier League for West Ham, so would be an excellent addition to the Southampton squad in the Championship. He will not be able to provide the quality that Ward-Prowse could, but that does not make Downes any less of a good signing, especially on a straight loan deal.