West Ham captain Bowen to stay despite relegation

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen has pledged his future to the club despite their relegation from the Premier League.

Bowen was linked with a move away from the London Stadium following West Ham’s plunge into the Championship last season.

But the 29-year-old England forward has promised to stay with West Ham after pondering his future in the close-season.

“There’s a lot of thinking time over the summer and a lot of things that go on in your head,” he said.

“For me I look in years and years to come of when I retire, what’s going to bring me the most happiness?

“It was a no-brainer. The main motivation is staying and bringing this club back into the Premier League where we belong.”

Bowen revealed that he recently flew to Prague to meet with West Ham’s majority shareholder Daniel Kretinsky to discuss the club’s ambition for an immediate return to the Premier League.

Nuno Espirito Santo has also stayed on as West Ham manager following the end of their 14-year stay in the top-flight.

“The ambition I got from them, certainly in terms of the direction that the club wants to move in, interested me a lot,” Bowen said.

Bowen has scored 85 goals in 280 appearances since joining West Ham from Hull in 2020.

“It didn’t take a lot because this club means a lot to me. I’ve been here six and a half years and transitioned a boy really from the Championship to the captain of the club, which is a huge honour,” he said.

“50,000 season ticket holders in the Championship is some feat. It goes to show you that loyalty and love they have for the club, and they want to see it back in the Premier League.”

AFP

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