Ex Saints player Charlie Austin is a very bitter man when it comes to Southampton Football Club, he never seems to pass up a chance to have a bad word to say about it and now it seems he has an opinion on James Ward Prowse's England chances.

Charlie Austin was a good buy for Saints, back in 2016 he arrived for a fee of £4 million, cheap due to his well publicised injury issues.

He scored the winner at Manchester United on his debut for the club, but that would be his last goal of the season and injury interrupted much of the rest of it.

The following season started well, but by December he was injured again and would only play the last couple of games of the season, missing out as Saints got to the league cup final.

2017/18 was a little better, but he again missed about a third of it through injury.

Ironically his final season would see him play more games than any other season, but he would score only 3 times, his final goal for the club being a late winner against Arsenal in Ralph Hasenhuttl's first home game in charge, the arrival of Danny Ings limiting his chances and then Che Adams arrival pushing him further down the pecking order.

He left for West Brom with Saints recouping the £4 million they had paid for him.

But it seems that he harbours a grudge against Southampton Football Club, why I don't know, in his 3 1/2 years at the club he started only 34 Premier League games, only around a quarter of those he could have played, another 37 appearances came off the bench.

He was paid well for his time at the club, but at 30 it was time to move on.

Since then he has turned up sporadically to comment on Saints and now he has spoken to Talk Sport regarding James Ward Prowse's World Cup prospects with England.

“Over the last two years he’s been club captain, he’s cemented himself in there, but certainly now, I think it’s time to leave,” he told TalkSPORT.

“This is why, because I think if he wants to go to the World Cup, he needs to be at a different football club than what Southampton are offering, the way they’re performing. I just think he’s more appealing if he’s at a different club.”

He then goes on to name a list of clubs who would be a good move for him: “I do think that he would fit in at an Arsenal, or a Leicester or Newcastle. Newcastle are on a re-build, the way they’re going, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’d thrown the dice at him.”

“I do think that he would fit in at an Arsenal, or a Leicester or Newcastle. Newcastle are on a re-build, the way they’re going, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’d thrown the dice at him.”

I'm sorry to say that I think that he is talking a load of tosh, James Ward Prowse is in the England squads for his work with Southampton Football Club, he has been a big fish in a small pond, no one can deny that, but he has matured and grown with Saints and he is getting the headlines and plaudits.

Whilst no one would deny he could go to a bigger club, one where he could get higher wages and play in Europe, would it benefit his England hopes.

I would say no, at St Mary's next season he can continue where he leaves off this season, he will have the opportunity to take free kicks and be the main man.

Would he have the same opportunity if he moved to any of the three clubs that Austin highlights, yes Newcastle are rebuilding and from that point of view it is going to be hit and miss, Leicester may offer European football next season, but in terms of domestic football are not better than Saints and Arsenal are still a work in progress.

With only a three month period in the Premier League before the World Cup squad is named, Ward Prowse would perhaps not be best served by going into a new environment, he would be better maintaining the status quo, doing what he has been doing that has pushed him into the reckoning.

At St Mary's he plays every game, would he do that if he went to another club, perhaps Leicester, but perhaps not at Newcastle or Arsenal, if he went to someone bigger then definitely not and to showcase his talents and prove to Gareth Southgate he can be a vital part of the squad he needs to be playing regularly and being the main man on free kicks etc.

Going into the unknown just before the World Cup will not benefit JWP, so from this perspective Charlie Austin has not thought this one through.

There is no doubt that JWP can play for a club that is of a higher status than Southampton, perhaps that will happen, but I truly believe that it will not benefit him to leave this summer, he would be better doing what he does best here and forcing his way into Gareth Southgate's plans.

If he does that then the World will be his oyster, having cemented himself in the England squad he could play for a bigger club than Arsenal, Newcastle & Leicester.

Photo: Action Images

I_would added 12:26 - Apr 27 I've said it a thousand times but I'll say it again. Prowsey is not going to a bigger club, he's not good enough. No bids have come in for him, just speculation. He's still here after what seems like about 20 years. Stop worrying, it's me that's worried that he'll stay, I'm sick of his casual joggy demeanour and backwards and sideways passes.
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Crispinmumbles added 12:53 - Apr 27 JWP is our main man. Most people with eyes understand this. He's provided goals, assists, passes and hard work - tackling back and marking. I suspect all top clubs envy that delivery, free kicks and penalty reliability coupled with the work rate. He would be irreplaceable and we should be talking like West Ham about their man, Rice. £150m or go away unless JWP decides that he wants Champions League in which case we should still demand huge bucks.

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WestSussexSaint added 13:25 - Apr 27 Just ask Danny Ings how his England prospects are now looking after his move to Villa. He is far from being the only one thinking they need to play at a bigger club to advance their international credentials. What they find is that the lack of game time and other issue’s affecting their performance means the only thing they advance is their bank balance.
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SaintPaulVW added 13:40 - Apr 27 JWP and Charlie Austin are like Polar opposites. Both blessed with a particular skill, however JWP was a secret only Saints fans knew about, he spent years finding the right role and when he did put absolutely everything into it and leaves it all on the pitch. JWP is on track to go to the world cup playing for Saints. Austin a natural goalscorer was lauded and pigeonholed from day one and the effort he has put into his career has fallen every year, until now he is barely up to League 2 standard. James, please don't listen to anything Charlie says. COYR

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andoverpedro added 14:08 - Apr 27 Excellent piece , i do agree Austin definately has a big chip on his shoulder with regards Southampton , it all went downhill for saints after he signed and replaced Pelle ( what a joke) couldnt lace Pelle's boots. JWP will only leave for one of the big 4 and it would have to be for more than the Grealish Transfer £££ as he is a more complete player with an end product .

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SanMarco added 15:08 - Apr 27 Best to ignore the likes of Austin and Crooks. The England stuff is rubbish. He will be picked if he is considered good enough. What he may well not get at Saints is a trophy. The way things are at the moment there are only two clubs that can guarantee medals. Would either of those want JWP? There are a bunch of clubs who offer a far greater or a little bit more chance of winning something than us but add the trophies that Spuds, Manure and Arsenal have won over the last five seasons and you get a pretty small number. If he wants to be paid filthy money to maybe play as sub at Wembley in the League Cup Final for Newcastle then he is welcome to it. The bigger lesson for JWP is to look at players who emerge as good players over several years at Saints. Not passing through superstars like Van Dick and Mane but those like Spiderman, Fonte, James Beattie, even at a pinch Lallana etc. Like JWP those players developed reputations at Saints. They became far better players while at Saints and then scarpered off into obscurity. I like JWP and my fear for him would be that any move he makes would be more likely to take the Spiderman route than the Mane one. JWP is a great asset for us but history proves he might not prosper at a 'bigger' club.

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saint901 added 16:13 - Apr 27 Austin is just repeating the same tired old story that for somebody to "make it" hey need to be at a "big club". What is today a big club, is one with money able to afford the extortionate wages of players who can fill the bench. It's not about the clubs with a glorious history of winning competitions. So the "big" clubs today are City, Liverpool, Newcastle. The likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs are all hampered by sanctions or paying for vast stadia and are not challenging for top players. Man U are a never ending car crash in terms of playing and off the pitch owner problems. Leicester? Seems that the son of the owner who was killed a few years back is not as keen on investing as his dad was. They have not really replaced their "stars". So where would JWP go? I can't see him as a regular starter at City or Liverpool. And I don't see him making the average teams at Newcastle, Chelsea etc into world beaters either. He's improve them but not to the extent required. For us, he is a key component, valued by the manager and (most) fans and we've been spoilt because he's rarely missed a game in three seasons to show us what we lack when he's not around. On his day for us, he's the difference between no pints and one or one point and three. On his off days, he's still better than most of the team. All that said, if he sees a payday for two/three seasons warming the bench with Grealish and Foden, he owes us nothing and he needs to think about his family after football and I for one would not begrudge him a move. As for Austin, he was always a wannabe whose "talent" was talked up but never evident on the pitch. He prospered against the lower league defenders but when faced with a more savvy opponent was lost. His voice and opinions carry no weight.

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Colburn added 17:17 - Apr 27 Just another bitter Austin comment to show he hasn't got over being kicked out of the club. Having said that, I'm sure the interviewer loved his click baiting, msm propagandist comments as it fits perfectly with their shallow narratives.. He's obviously forgotten that Phillips didn't have to leave relegation fighting Leeds over the last two years to start most games in the Euros.. But then again the truth behind his words is that he dislikes our club and wants to see us regress. I feel sorry for him, he's clearly not very bright and is allowing negative feelings eat him up inside over an issue long in the past to most..

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ianr added 20:44 - Apr 27 I agree that Charlie Austin has a chip on his shoulder regarding Southampton, similarly I_would has a massive sack of potatoes on his shoulder regarding Southampton and especially Ward Prowse, he is quite clearly our best player, seek medical help.
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Ali_Diarea added 07:40 - Apr 28 This will be an interesting test for our new owners. Under the rules of ‘money ball’ this summer will be the perfect time to sell as his value will be at its peak. I really hope he stays but I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if we turn down £40m+ bids for him.
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landsdownsaint added 08:55 - Apr 28 Since MLT has decided too wear a tin foil hat & vacated his role as thee club legend I’d say JWP is well on course as our greatest ever player … if he stays
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I_would added 11:20 - Apr 28 I see there are a few dreamers on here that forget quickly the sudden upturn in results and playing style that occurred as soon as JWP was banned. Still don't let the truth get in the way of a Prowsey dream. A bid won't come in from a bigger club for Prowsey and he will not play a competitive England match either so stop worrying and stop dreaming.
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ElijahK added 00:41 - Apr 29 I would, do you ever use logic? Prowse got banned for just 2 games, Villa and Watford, which yeah we won both, but he also played in every game since, where we’ve won 8, drawn 10 and last 9 (so a pretty average set), with him getting 7 goals and 4 assists over that period, as well as many great performances. As I really don’t get of why you seem to hate Prowse soo much, but only an idiot would deny if just how important he’s been this season for us, and that the 2 games he missed over the last like 2/3 years, don’t really show too big of a difference, as we’ve been on both better and worse runs with him in that squad. As if it wasn’t for him, I’m pretty certain we’d be down with Everton and Burnley battling to avoid 18th place and relegation, but instead were in a pretty relaxed 13th place, quite far away from any relegation threat with only the OTT fans still being worried. But still if you wanna just avoid the facts and keep to the hate you seem to have for Prowse, then go ahead, but there’s a reason why it’s basically just you that thinks that.

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saintinexile added 11:01 - Apr 29 why would you pay any attention to Austin, and then waste time talking about it?
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