West Ham could be about to unite one of the most effective double-acts in the Premier League – opinion

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West Ham United’s transfer window finally feels as though it’s getting underway.

The Hammers have been waiting to make a signing for two months, now, and, all of a sudden, they’ve kicked into action.

The east London club are set to sign both Harry Maguire and James Ward-Prowse according to numerous reports, and if both of those players sign, West Ham could have one of the most effective double acts in the Premier League.

For all of your stats, data, xG, inverted-full-backs, box midfields and whatever other buzz word is doing the rounds among tacticians these days, sometimes football is a simple game.

Indeed, we’re not going to try to dress this up as something it’s not, the reality is that James Ward-Prowse is arguably the best dead-ball striker in the world, and Harry Maguire is arguably the best offensive header of a ball in England.

It’s a simple as that, Ward-Prowse on corners with Maguire attacking the ball will lead to goals.

It doesn’t take Pep Guardiola to figure that one out.

West Ham have been brilliant from set plays in recent years under David Moyes, with goals from corners and free-kicks helping them to massive wins against the odds, and they may be about to get even stronger in that area.

Ward-Prowse’s set-piece ability is ridiculous, and while stats in terms of assists from corners are hard to find, the fact that Ward-Prowse has taken more corner kicks than any other player in Premier League history according to the Premier League website just goes to show how reliable he is on that front.

Meanwhile, no defender has ever scored more goals for England than Harry Maguire, and, you guessed it, the vast majority of those came from set-pieces with his head.

It’s simple, it’s dumbed-down, but it’s effective.

Maguire is being signed for his defensive prowess, but don’t be shocked if he chips in with his fair share of goals next season.