Jarrod Bowen was named as the new West Ham United club captain back in the summer.
West Ham signed Jarrod Bowen from Hull City in the 2020 January transfer window, for around £20 million.
What a signing he has proven to be for us, and Julen Lopetegui named him the new Hammers captain in the summer after seeing him as someone who leads by example with his performances.
In my opinion, that was a horrendous decision at the time – Bowen is a lot of things but he’s definitely not a leader of men.
He is an exceptional player, and he’s done great things for the Hammers. That doesn’t mean he should have been given the armband though.
The left-footed right winger never speaks on the pitch, he doesn’t lift his teammates when they’re not playing well and you never see him getting in the referee’s ear when decisions are going against us.
Whilst he didn’t play too badly against Tottenham yesterday, the fact that he didn’t face up to the press after the game was pathetic if you ask me.
That might sound a little harsh but when things are going against you as a club, you need a proper captain to take on the responsibility that the role requires.
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Unacceptable radio silence from West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen
Following the embarrassing defeat at the hands of Spurs, Bowen was nowhere to be seen.
I expected him to talk to reporters after the game, apologies to the fans and promise that he and his teammates will be much better against Manchester United next weekend.
However, Bowen did something that proves his not captain material in my opinion.
As far as I’m concerned, when a team suffers such a heavy defeat to our biggest rivals in the league, the captain should face up the media.
Instead, Tomas Soucek was the sacrificial lamb chosen to speeak to the press straight after the game.
Max Kilman then spoke to the in-house media team alter on, but still no word from “captain” Bowen.
Mark Noble would have been the first player to speak to reporters after we lost games like the one against Tottenham on Saturday.
Shocking Bowen decision
As mentioned earlier, I love Jarrod Bowen, and I think he’s the best and most consistent player at West Ham.
However, there is one thing he’s not in my opinion, and that is a proper leader.
The 27-year-old never should’ve been made captain in the summer. I would have given the armband to Max Kilman or Tomas Soucek instead.
The problem now is that it’s almost impossible to strip someone of the captaincy during a season – it would cause too much controversy within the squad.
Bowen is not a leader in any way shape of form, nor is he comfortable with the position he’s been given in my view.
The Hammers are severely lacking players with real character now, right when we need someone to lift everyone in that dressing room.
There could be trouble ahead for West Ham, and Jarrod Bowen needs to man up and start taking some responsibility off the pitch.