Actor Danny Dyer, the father of Mrs Bowen-to-be Dani, once joked he loved Jarrod Bowen more than his wife. West Ham United head coach Julen Lopetegui may not quite agree but he can attribute his extended stay at the helm to Bowen’s brilliance.
The England international scored the solitary goal in an uninspiring win against Southampton and was the man of the match. When Lopetegui urged for much-needed inspiration against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bowen answered the call with the winning goal. Were it not for his strike cannoning off the crossbar in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth, the winger would have scored three goals in his last four games.
This season the 28-year-old has registered five goals and four assists in 18 league games. Bowen has also played a key role in the club’s four-game unbeaten run, which has eased the pressure on an embattled Lopetegui, who needs to preside over a strong second half to the season.
There are many variables at stake — from potential European qualification to convincing transfer targets to join — but perhaps the most crucial thing is to persuade key players like Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta that they can achieve their goals at West Ham.
“Our ambition as a club is qualifying for Europe every year,” Bowen outlined in his…
