West Ham: Jarrod Bowen form concerning
West Ham United have endured a dire start to the new Premier League season thus far, having suffered five defeats from their opening seven top-flight games, including their latest loss at the hands of fellow strugglers Everton at Goodison Park.
The Hammers must be contemplating just what has gone wrong after two hugely impressive seasons under manager David Moyes prior to the current campaign, with the former Toffees boss having secured European qualification in successive seasons.
The east Londoners had looked set to build on that recent rise having enjoyed what had appeared to be a strong window with regards to recruitment – completing eight major summer deals – although those arrivals have failed to have the desired effect thus far.
It is not just the new faces who have underwhelmed at the London Stadium in recent months, however, with Jarrod Bowen one of the notable figures to have suffered a drastic downturn in performances following what had been a sparkling 2021/22 campaign.
Plucked from Hull City in January 2020 on a £20m deal, the 25-year-old has since gone on to become a key figure for the Irons in recent seasons, scoring 29 goals and registering 23 assists in 113 games in all competitions to date.
That haul was largely bolstered by a particularly fruitful run of goalscoring form last season, as the £96k-per-week menace scored 12 goals and registered a further ten assists in the top-flight alone, while his tally of 31 goal contributions in all competitions was the highest of any player in the West Ham squad last term.
Such sparkling form has seen the former Hereford United man linked with a move to Liverpool in recent times, with the winger potentially set to command a fee of around £75m were he to be sold in the near future.
Equally, that potent attacking threat saw the forward catch the eye of England boss Gareth Southgate at the end of last season, resulting in his first appearances at senior level for his country during the Nations League meetings in June.
To the surprise of some, the £37.8m-rated man has retained his place in the Three Lions squad for the upcoming international break, despite having endured a relatively “poor start” to the season in the words of Martin Laurence.
While the new campaign is still in its infancy, Moyes will no doubt be concerned that the wide man has failed to register a single goal or assist in the league thus far, scoring his only two goals in Europa Conference League qualifying and the subsequent group stage.
Although the Hammers boss has suggested there are “signs” that Bowen could be getting back to his best, the latter man failed to make the difference once again in the recent defeat on Merseyside, failing to record a single successful dribble and losing possession 20 times from just 59 touches.
The hope will be that the Leominster-born gem can rediscover his confidence over the next week or so while on international duty, with West Ham needing him to be fit and firing once league action resumes next month.