Jarrod Bowen West Ham United’s good guy!
West Ham caused a stir when they released the squad numbers for the 2020/21 season; in the announcement, there was one significant change.
January signing, Jarrod Bowen has changed his West Ham squad number from his previous number 17 to his new number 20. The change caused a stir amongst fans who already bought their new shirt with Bowen on the back.
One young West Ham fan bought the new away shirt with his hero ‘Bowen, 17’ on the back, only for it to be outdated only a week later. The young fans father took to Twitter to share their story and their interaction with the club shop as they tried to sort out a resolution.
After being told that the shop could not replace the shirt for free and that they could only offer “free printing on their next purchase” Stephen Baldock tweeted. In a time when the relationship between fans and the club is already strained, replacing the shirt could have brought the club some good press.
In a similar case from eight years ago, Everton refunded fans who bought shirts who had ‘Arteta’ and ‘Beckford’ printed on the back. The two players were fan favourites but were sold late in the transfer window.
West Ham could have taken note of the Toffees actions and avoided more bad press. The club was saved further blushes as Bowen has stepped in to be the hero. The 23-year-old has let the young fan know that a replacement shirt is on the way.
Since Bowen has tweeted his reply is has led to the official West Ham Twitter account to announce that they will be replacing all ‘Bowen, 17’ shirts. This is good news as it will mean fans won’t be forced to part with more of their money to support their favourite player.
Tensions between the club and fans have been tense since the start of the transfer window as the lack of players coming into the club. This tension intensified when promising youngster Grady Diangana was sold for West Brom for £18 million.
Bowen could be the clubs shining light next season. The winger has scored four goals in three preseason games, including a brace in the Betway Cup against Bournemouth.