West Ham United have lost two of their opening Premier League matches, but there’s plenty of promise within Julen Lopetegui’s talented squad.
It was clear that David Moyes’ tenure had reached the end of its life force last season, with the east Londoners hardly enduring a poor campaign but missing out on Europe after finishing ninth in the top flight.
And after a summer of spending in excess of £120m, the Irons have been repackaged and turned toward the upper end of the division, with sights set on restoring the former European prominence that saw the Conference League conquered in June 2023.
So many players impressed during that wonderful year, but Declan Rice claimed the club’s Player of the Season award, putting in a title-winning shift before draping the curtain on his West Ham career.
Why West Ham sold Declan Rice
Rice also claimed the 2022/23 Conference League Player of the Year, such was his influence throughout the competition, dominating from the engine room and turning heads (if there were any left to turn by that point) left right and centre.
It was Arsenal who prevailed in the race to sign him, landing the England international in a club-record £105m transfer despite the vested interests of Manchester City.
For West Ham, there had long been an acceptance that he would leave at the end of that season, club chairman David Sullivan confirmed, and the victorious continental campaign ensured that it was a fairytale ending for a player who had been saved from depths of despair at youth level, released from Chelsea’s Cobham Academy during his formative years.
He completed 245 appearances. He burst onto the scene, bestowed upon the Irons fanbase that giddy glint of silverware, and he left. It’s hard to argue against the 25-year-old being a West Ham legend, though he’s not the most iconic of that trophy-winning batch.
Indeed, Jarrod Bowen might just take the cake with that one, for the dynamic forward still plies his trade at the London Stadium, having now been promoted to captain.
Why Jarrod Bowen could be more influential than Declan Rice
One of Moyes’ first ports of call following his reappointment to the manager’s position at West Ham was to complete the signing of Hull City winger Bowen, who left the Championship in a £22m deal.
He’d enjoyed a prolific career in England’s second tier as he honed his qualities and pushed to earn Premier League attention, and West Ham have hardly been disappointed by his level over the past four-and-a-half years, for he has scored 62 goals and provided 39 assists over 206 displays.
Described as “unplayable” by Brentford manager Thomas Frank after decimating his side with a hat-trick last season, Rice’s countryman was always going to attract interest this summer, was always going to spike the fears of the fanbase as potential suitors sniffed around.
1.
Jarrod Bowen
44
20
2.
Mohammed Kudus
45
14
3.
Tomas Soucek
52
10
4.
Lucas Paqueta
53
8
5.
Michail Antonio
32
7
6.
James Ward-Prowse
51
7
In 2023, Liverpool had been linked with a shock move for the 27-year-old following the Saudi Pro League’s attempts to sign Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, and no surprise, Bowen carries several properties not too dissimilar to that of the legendary Egyptian, with talkSPORT host Tony Cascarino even remarking that the United forward had entered the “Salah club” following one “unbelievable” goal.
Nothing materialised, and transfer insider Dean Jones revealed that Bowen would not leave unless a bid arrived in the ballpark of Rice’s move to Arsenal.
He said: “If you consider that they’ve lost Declan Rice, who was their most valuable player, for over £100m, then if anyone was to come asking for Jarrod Bowen, they’re going to say ‘Well, we want the same as what we’ve got for Declan Rice then’ because if anything, Jarrod Bowen is even more important to them because, at times, he is the only player who is weighing in reliably with goals.”
That was the view one year ago, and Bowen has since built upon his trophy-winning expertise to deepen his connection with West Ham and its staunch support, even penning a new contract in October 2023 that has extended his stay to 2030.
Let’s not forget, it was Bowen’s fine finishing, shifted movement to split through the lines, that ensured Rice and all his Hammers teammates earned a slice of silverware and immortalised their names within the outfit’s storied history.
He’s already proving that his skill set was not limited to Moyes’ system – not that anyone actually thought that – having scored two goals across four matches this year, very much relishing the captaincy and the on-pitch leadership that comes with it.
Lopetegui and co will be thankful every day that Newcastle were dissuaded by Bowen’s lofty price tag this summer and opted against signing their ‘first-choice target’, as he was described by the Northern Echo.
Bowen doesn’t have the pace of Mohammed Kudus, nor does he produce the kind of playmaking wonders of Lucas Paqueta. The £150k-per-week phenom is not as physical as Niclas Fullkrug, but he does have a rounded array of qualities and indefatigable energy that has propelled him to the forefront of the Premier Leauge and established him as one of England’s prized forwards.
Rice was one of West Ham’s finest players, and will forever be remembered as an elite-level talent, but Bowen is something more, with his decision to stay and his focal role in the team leaving his presence ingrained in the club’s fabric. Proper West Ham.
The east London side have truly hit the jackpot with this one.
West Ham have already sold the heir to Rice, he's even outperforming Soler
West Ham may have sold their Declan Rice heir too early.
1 ByConnor HoldenSep 5, 2024