Speculation surrounded Jarrod Bowen’s West Ham future following Premier League relegation but the captain has made his decision
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen met with majority shareholder Daniel Kretinsky and board member Jiri Svarc before committing his future to the club. And the England international said it didn’t take much to convince him to stick around.
Bowen, 29, is under contract at the London Stadium until 2030. However, there were fears he might be tempted to leave following the Hammers’ relegation in May.
Instead, he has agreed a new revised contract which will ensure he stays put to lead what West Ham hope will be a promotion push. He has followed manager Nuno Espirito Santo in committing his future to the club and opened up on the decision in an interview with club media.
“I flew out to Prague in the Czech Republic to meet Daniel and Jiri and the ambition that I got from them, certainly in terms of the direction the club wants to move in, it interests me a lot,” Bowen said. “It didn’t take a lot for me, because this club means a lot to me.
“I did an interview after [the final game of last season] and said my vision is to get this club back in the Premier League. Sometimes you think it falls on deaf ears and people say, ‘He’s just saying that.’ There have been things written and different things said and you have to look at it and bite your tongue sometimes.
“But when I say something, I don’t hide away from it. For me, the main thing is to get this club back into the Premier League and speak to people in the club about what we want to do moving forward as a club for the better of the club. It was a no-brainer for me to be here and the vision is clear, it’s the Premier League.”
The Bowen news comes as a boost for West Ham after they lost Mateus Fernandes earlier in the window. Others including Crysencio Summerville and Dinos Mavropanos have also attracted interest, though boss Nuno is going nowhere.
“It’s a pleasure to be here [building towards the new season],” the manager said. “Of course, there was a lot of noise, a lot of questions, but it was important to understand the time of the decision.
“After relegation for all of us it was sad. And it was a moment to feel and to understand. But there were never doubts on myself and the Board that this is something that we want to continue. And I’m really pleased [that I can]. I’m thankful for the confidence. Now it’s time to work.“
