Agbonlahor says 28-year-old Newcastle target isn’t worth as much as Maddison

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Newcastle United should not pay £40million if they want to sign James Ward-Prowse this summer.

That is the view of TalkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor, who has compared the Southampton captain to new Tottenham Hotspur signing James Maddison.

The 26-year-old has joined Spurs from Leicester City, costing Ange Postecoglu’s side £40million. They beat Newcastle to his signature, who distanced themselves from the England international despite chasing him for a year.

Another midfielder who Newcastle have been linked with is Ward-Prowse. It was recently reported that Eddie Howe admires the 28-year-old, with the Magpies keeping their eye out for a potential bargain later in the transfer window.

It has been reported that the Saints want £50million to sell Ward-Prowse, but former Aston Villa forward Agbonlahor does not think he is even worth £40million.

Ward-Prowse not worth the same amount as Maddison

Following Maddison’s transfer to Tottenham, Agbonlahor was asked by TalkSPORT host Alan Brazil if he thinks Ward-Prowse is in the same bracket as the 26-year-old or less.

“I’d say less,” he said.

“What Maddison offers – he’s just the perfect player for Spurs. You can say to Harry Kane, stop coming off so deep, stay forward. Maddison’s going to come into that role, get on the ball, put Kulusevski, Son, Kane through. I think it’s a great signing.

“I do love Ward-Prowse, but I wouldn’t say he’s a £40million player. Not at the moment.”

Newcastle wait for a bargain

In terms of pure ability, Ward-Prowse should not be worth as much as Maddison. However, that does not tell the full story of how players are valued. Maddison only had one year left on his Leicester contract. In contrast, JWP’s Southampton deal runs until 2026.

With three years left on his deal, the Saints are in a strong position to command a decent fee for the free-kick expert. However, it may also depend on their financial situation heading into the Championship and Ward-Prowse’s desire to leave.

But with Newcastle looking to be careful with their spending, there is simply no way the club should fork out £40million for Ward-Prowse. And considering how sensible the Toon recruitment team is, there is no reason to believe they would do that.

Maddison would have been a worthwhile investment for that amount, but not Ward-Prowse. So I guess I agree with Agbonlahor, which is concerning…