It’s fair to say the start to the season hasn’t gone as West Hams expected.
After an encouraging summer of transfer business, with nine new players brought in, and a new manager at the helm, fans were understandably optimistic ahead of the start of the 24/25 campaign.
But after picking up just one win in his first eight games in all competitions, with 15 goals conceded and three consecutive home defeats, new boss Julen Lopetegui is already under sever pressure.
On one hand, you can look at the tough fixtures the Spaniard has had to navigate so far and admit he deserves a lot more time to turn it around. On the other, many will be pointing to disjointed performances against the likes of Fulham and Chelsea as worrying signs that Lopetegui is failing to get a tune out of his new look West Ham squad.
It is of course way too early to make a definite decision on his east London future but, it’s hard to deny that if results and performances don’t improve soon the club will be forced to act before it gets out of hand.
There have been a number of issues that have directly contributed to the frustrating start. Lopetegui has struggled to find a midfield combination that works, with Guido Rodriguez often preferred despite having clear positional issues and Lucas Paqueta’s form nowhere near where it usual is.
Up front, Lopetegui had the chance to sign striker Jhon Duran from Aston Villa in the summer but eventually opted for Borussia Dortmund’s Niclas Fullkrug, who has been injured for almost a month already. Duran scored the winner against us on the opening day of the season and has gone on to score six goals in nine appearances so far this term, including a historic winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
And there’s the reported bust up with Mohammed Kudus at half-time in the 1-1 draw at Brentford last weekend, which we’re led to believe was blown out of proportion in the media but still raises questions over the respect and trust some players have in Lopetegui if they’re already questioning his tactical decisions.
But there’s one decision that has perhaps gone under the radar that needs to be questioned, and that’s the decision to give Jarrod Bowen the captain’s armband this season.
Now, Bowen is a club legend and his loyalty to the club and love for the badge means he has been adopted as one of our own. Very few players arrive at the club and immediately make an impact in the way Bowen has. And don’t get me started on his winner in the Conference League final in Prague. The bloke deserves all the respect he gets and while he admits he hopes to end his career at the club, the fans feel exactly the same.
But is he captain material? He has always been quiet and relatively unassuming, doing most of his talking with his performances and goals. But being a hero, a legend, a goalscorer or a loyal member of the squad doesn’t and shouldn’t make you an immediate contender for being named club captain.
I have absolutely no doubt he has the full respect of the dressing room. How can you not have respect for a player like Bowen? He’s risen from non-league to the Premier League, scoring European Cup final winners in the process.
Since he signed from Hull in January 2020, Bowen has scored 62 goals and notched 40 assists in 210 appearances in all competitions. He’s closing in on 50 Premier League goals, with only six more needed to reach that milestone. He will go down as one of the best value for money signings in the club’s entire history.
Despite all of that, he’s never really come across as a natural leader to me. Indeed, there’s more to leadership than being able to encourage the players and get them fired up. All the additional responsibilities that come with being a club captain often go unnoticed. Mark Noble was the perfect club captain, not just because he was a fan of the club but also because he was willing to take on all the other responsibilities, such as being a role model for the youngsters, helping to integrate new signings into the club and the area and representing the club’s overall values both on and off the pitch.
Perhaps that’s why Bowen was picked. Because of his love for the club, the stature he’s built for himself in claret and blue and the respect he has from both his teammates and the fans. He would’ve always been a popular choice in the eyes of the fans.
But I’m wondering whether that subsequent weight of the armband this season is affecting his overall performances, which in turn is affecting the team’s performances. We’re so used to seeing Bowen grab games by the scruff of the neck, but we’ve rarely seen that so far this season. He’s only got two goals in eight appearances so far and has today lost his place in the England squad.
I may be way off here but it’s just a thought I can’t shake. I would love nothing more than to see West Ham succeed with Bowen leading them, potentially lifting more trophies in the future. He deserves it more than anyone in the squad.
But I just wonder whether there are better candidates at the club for this kind of responsibility right now, and perhaps being released of that level of pressure might help release Bowen back into the player we’re all so used to seeing.
