Last Friday, what many thought to be an implausible occurrence actually happened: Jarrod Bowen waved off interest from top-flight clubs and announced that he would be staying with West Ham for their first Championship season since 2011-12.
It was a remarkable development. The Championship has arguably not played host to someone of Bowen’s reputation since Ruben Neves nearly a decade ago. This is a man on the fringes of the England national team, who was in the running for the Three Lions’ World Cup squad this summer. It’s an incredible display of loyalty from the player, and a huge sign of intent from the Hammers’ higher-ups; they’ve made no bones about their intention to do everything they can to hold onto their best players, and this is a big step in the right direction.
So, now that Bowen’s services have been secured, who’s next? Who else could be convinced to stick around for 2026-27?
Konstantinos Mavropanos
It would certainly be an undertaking to keep Dinos at the London Stadium. The towering Greek center-back was West Ham’s most impressive player during the second half of last season. If not for his throngs of goal-line clearances, key headers, and last-ditch tackles, the Irons probably would have been relegated a lot sooner than the final day of the campaign. Moderately quick, strong in the tackle, and serviceable as a long-passer, Mavropanos is undeniably Premier League quality. And other teams have caught on to this fact: Leeds United and Bundesliga outfits Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund have been among the clubs linked to the 28-year-old.
However, Bowen’s announcement could really make a difference. There were conflicting reports on Mavropanos’ willingness to stay prior to Jarrod’s announcement, but with the Irons’ star man staying put, there is real incentive for the Greek defender to do so as well. On Saturday, West Ham faced Southend United (Dinos’s mere presence in this match was a good sign). Mavropanos scored from a header off a Bowen corner to equalize. Two of his three Premier League goals last year also resulted from Bowen's assists. Will the former Stuttgart player be swayed by the potential of this connection? Perhaps, perhaps not. But, even amid top-flight interest, there’s a much greater chance now than there was prior to Friday. Additionally, Bowen's new contract paves the way for Mavropanos to also negotiate the contract extension he so coveted. Expect West Ham's new technical director Nil Koppen to extend his deal with a raise from last season's wages, a bonus if promoted, and an out in case the worst happens and the club doesn't secure promotion.
Valentín Castellanos
Castellanos’s stint with West Ham in the second half of 2025-26 was a decidedly mixed bag. He scored some stellar goals, not least an astonishing volley against Newcastle on the second-to-last matchday. There were also the disappointing moments, the point-blank chances spurned, the games in which Taty went missing entirely. But of course, the struggle was in part a byproduct of West Ham’s inability to create clear-cut chances… chances that would certainly be easier to come by in the second tier.
So will Taty stay around to strut his stuff? On the surface, it feels like a big ask. The 27-year-old Argentine was playing Champions League football just two years ago, and there has been reported interest this summer from Everton and Fulham. But these links seem to have cooled off in recent weeks, and Castellanos was another who featured in the friendly against Southend, a sign of at least a degree of openness to stay. Lest we forget that Taty is just seven months into his four-and-a-half-year contract. Taty wants to play in the Premier League again, but unless a club comes along and pays what West Ham paid for him in January (€30 million), Taty will stay put. Joining West Ham in January, he knew playing in the Championship was a possibility. If playing in the Premier League is where he wants to be, this may be the best path to get back.
El Hadji Malick Diouf
Probably the punchiest of the lot. Diouf is 21 years old, a highly intelligent defender, uber-quick, and a monstrous crosser of the ball; defenders across the Premier League were thrown into panic mode time and time again as the Senegalese fullback shaped up to whip passes into the mixer from the left flank last season. There are deficiencies to his game, but Diouf has so much time to grow, so much ahead of him.
The question is whether he will continue to grow in the Championship and with West Ham? Diouf has designs to play for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, even telling reporters last year that he hopes to make it to Real Madrid one day. That remains to be seen. Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Everton (among others) are already circling, and they will inevitably be joined by others as the summer months roll on. Diouf’s presence at the London Stadium is looking more and more unlikely, and expect most teams to put a full-court press by January if they don't come after him before the summer window closes.
The war isn’t over, though. Unlike Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the other flank, Diouf won’t get much of a World Cup bounce on the transfer market. He was Senegal’s starting left-back at the tournament, but it was too small a sample size to make waves, a blessing in disguise for the Irons. From a developmental perspective, a season in the Championship could also make sense for a player who showed signs of inconsistency in 2025-26. With Bowen staying, and the likelihood of a swift return to top-flight football increasing, Diouf could feasibly choose to sacrifice short-term divisional prestige for long-term success. The Irons should do all they can to retain the youngster.
Don't under estimate the loyalty to Nuno Espirto Santo. Bowen and Soucek's public commitments shows that the leaders of the club are committing not only to the squad but to the manager. Nuno was the first domino. Soucek and Bowen were next. If and when Mavropanos and Taty publicly make statements, the rest of the squad will know West Ham's chances and theirs to get back to where they belong is just a season away.
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