The position that David Moyes finds his West ham side in is a difficult one. The Hammers have got a lot of work to do to get themselves above the red line between now and the end of the season, but the supporters will certainly be banking on the impressive Jarrod Bowen helping them to do so.
However, the young wide-man cannot be the man to shoulder the burden of survival, certainly not on his own anyway. The Hammers have got some impressive talents in their squad, and they simply cannot expect a new signing from Hull City in the Championship with next to zero Premier League experience become their beacon of hope.
There is no doubting that Bowen is an incredible talent, and the fact that he’s had to wait so long before making the move to the Premier League is ridiculous in itself seeing as he’s a player with 52 goals in 117 Championship appearances over the last three seasons (Transfermarkt), but the jump from the Championship to the top flight is no easy one.
His record in the EFL could, though, prove to be a negative for Bowen, It will be a stick to beat the 23-year-old with if he doesn’t perform in the top flight, as will the £20m fee that the Irons parted with to sign him (BBC), but the key for the London Stadium faithful will be to be patient, not to expect too much, and certainly not expect him to keep the Hammers in the Premier League on his own.
If given a window to adapt to the Premier League and to be eased into action then Bowen should be what the Hammers need, but having the likes of Sebastien Haller, Felipe Anderson and Pablo Fornals in-form around him would massively help his cause, and David Moyes will know just that as he plans for the weeks ahead.
Could Jarrod Bowen keep us up?
Yes
No
The next seven fixtures that the Hammers face are tough. Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Wolves, Spurs, Arsenal and Southampton make up their run, so giving Bowen a chance to dip his toe into top-flight waters across these games before bringing him in for the dubbed ‘easier fixtures’ afterwards, could be the way to go, but the expectations for survival cannot lie on his shoulders alone.
