West Ham United: Vladimir Coufal likens James Ward-Prowse to Andrea Pirlo and Juninho

Vladimir Coufal says “world-class” West Ham teammate James Ward-Prowse reminds him of Andrea Pirlo and Juninho because of his set-piece delivery.

Ward-Prowse has already assisted three goals and scored one himself in three Premier League games since joining West Ham from Southampton.

The most recent of those assists came in Friday’s 2-1 win against Luton Town, when his corner was headed in by Kurt Zouma.

The Daily Mail [3 September] quotes Coufal as saying, “I don’t have to say how good he is.

“From his free-kicks and corners, everyone in the Premier League, the UK, and possibly the rest of the world knows who James Ward-Prowse is.”

“He is truly world-class.” He is similar to Andrea Pirlo or Juninho [Pernambucano].

“He selects a location in the box and delivers exactly to that location.” It is simple for him. His kicking skill is incredible.”

Spending money wisely

Ward-Prowse’s ability to pick out a teammate, or perhaps the back of the net, from set pieces was one of the primary reasons West Ham wanted to sign him.

The England international has 17 goals from free kicks in the Premier League alone, one less than David Beckham’s all-time record.

On the basis of his performances in the claret and blue shirt thus far, paying £30 million for the midfielder appears to be money well spent [FBref], having been directly involved in 1.38 goals per 90 minutes [FBref].