January signing Jarrod Bowen Delivered for West Ham

Jarrod Bowen arrived in East London at the very last moment of the January transfer window and delivered down the stretch for West Ham in unexpected ways as his graft and play-making skills helped the club to achieve survival.

It was somewhat of a deadline deal surprise when the Jarrod Bowen to West Ham rumours began to surface. He was the in-form player of the past two and a half seasons in the Championship, having scored 52 goals in 117 matches.

West Ham was a club in turmoil and there seemed to be general disbelief across twitter as news continued to develop. After missing out on James Maddison a few seasons ago, it seemed uncharacteristic for the club to be making this type of splash in the January window.

After some stressful confusion over Bowen’s train itinerary that afternoon and some contract hold-ups, the club was able to get the deal across the line. Bowen was introduced to the supporters before the Brighton match as fellow signee Tomas Soucek made his West Ham debut. The two players would be the spark that saved West Ham’s season.

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Instead of throwing him directly into the fire, Moyes brought Bowen on as a substitute against Manchester City and Liverpool before handing him his full debut against Southampton. Within 15 minutes he was off the mark as his direct run from the wing to finish off a Fornals’ pass showed he possessed exactly what the club was missing.

Bowen continued to impress after the restart, as he displayed another of his lesser-known abilities as a play-maker, with key assists in the Chelsea, Newcastle and Watford matches as the Irons achieved their Premier League safety.

While all the highlight reels on YouTube showing Bowen’s knack for goal, what has stood out, is his relentless work ethic up and down the wing. Both Bowen and Soucek have also brought a new attitude to the club while leading by example. West Ham would’ve normally crumbled under adversity after going 1-0 down to Chelsea, but the two January signings willed the club back into the match.

While supporters may have expected more goals from the former Hull City man, his willingness to track back defensively and the exciting runs he made on the break more than won over the West Ham faithful. He was never shy to take defenders on which opened up plenty of opportunities for his teammates and was a component the squad was sorely lacking.

The expectations are high for Bowen going into next season as he looks to build on his first 13 matches. I think the goals will come, as he created plenty of opportunities and looked electric with the ball around the 18-yard box. Bowen played as part of the front three of a more traditional 4-3-3 at Hull City, so it will be interesting to see his continued development as a more traditional winger or whether David Moyes finds more creative ways for him to get involved.

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Season grade: A.

If Bowen continues the passion and graft that he has shown so far when supporters return to the ground they will surely be singing his name in the London Stadium.