Former Southampton players Jan Bednarek and Cedric Soares have reacted to James Ward Prowse’s recent comeback to St Mary’s.

Ward-Prowse spent 20 years at Southampton and became a club icon for his contributions to the first team, where he achieved great success.

He appeared in 410 games with the Saints, scoring 55 goals and assisting 52 times while winning the club’s Player of the Season title twice.

Ward-Prowse left to join West Ham United in 2023, but he struggled to find consistent game time and spent time on loan with Burnley and Nottingham Forest.

Southampton recently revealed that the midfielder had returned to the club on a two-year contract costing less than £1 million, significantly less than the £30 million the Irons spent for him in the first place.

Former Southampton players react to Ward-Prowse’s St Mary’s comeback.

Ward-Prowse’s former Southampton teammates Jan Bednarek and Cedric Soares reacted to the midfielder’s return to the club on Instagram, expressing their excitement at seeing him back in red and white.

Bednarek spent eight years with the Saints until leaving in 2025 to join Portuguese giants FC Porto, where he is now playing after winning the Primeira Liga last season as a regular member of their starting 11.

Soares spent five years at Southampton in the Premier League, where he put in some impressive performances before joining Arsenal.

The full-back is now on the books with Brazilian club Sao Paulo, where he has made 60 appearances since 2025. Southampton fans will be pleased to learn that their former players are still keeping an eye on the club after leaving.

James Ward-Prowse will have promotion ambitions for Southampton return

Southampton’s season ended in disappointment last season, as off-field developments resulted to their elimination from the Championship play-offs, which will have been difficult to swallow after such a successful second half of the season under Tonda Eckert’s management.

Ward-Prowse will have something to prove with the Saints, as well as unfinished business with his former club.

The 31-year-old is well-known for his prior contributions to the club, and he’s more than capable of repeating same levels of performance this season in English football’s second tier.

James Ward-Prowse’s Southampton statistics by season, from Transfermarkt.

Season

Appearances, Goals, and Assists

2011-2012

2 – 1 – 0 – 2012-2013 26 – 0 – 2013-2014 39 – 0 – 2014-2015 30 – 1 – 7 – 2015-2016 39 – 2 – 7 – 2016-2017 43 – 4 – 5 – 2017-2018 33 – 4 – 2018-2019

The pressure is on Southampton to return to Premier League after Spygate saga

Southampton already had a good roster that might make a serious run for promotion back to the Premier League this season.

Eckert and his team will have to deal with the weight of expectation placed on them to earn promotion, especially after what happened last year with Spygate, and with Ward-Prowse joining, that pressure will only grow.

He’s a guy with real talent, especially in dead-ball situations. The former England international has little experience in the Championship, but he has proven himself at a higher level in the Premier League, so the Saints’ decision to sign him is something of a coup.

Southampton face Millwall on Saturday, in what is sure to be a difficult test for the Saints, as Millwall now leads the league with two wins from their first two games.