Jarrod Bowen has made an honest West Ham deadline day admission. Jarrod Bowen returned to action for West Ham United on Monday night for our clash with Chelsea.
West Ham have really missed Jarrod Bowen over the past five weeks, after he fractured his foot during our defeat to Liverpool at the end of December. Bowen has been watching training sessions from the sidelines since Graham Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui at the London Stadium a few weeks ago.
The Hammers skipper recently shared how he has already noticed a big difference in the players and the way that they train. I expect West Ham to really kick on now over the next few months.
We were unlucky to take just a single point from our last two games away at Aston Villa and Chelsea. We have one game a week now on average until the end of the season.
And as Potter’s ideas seep more into the players’ minds, the performances will continue to gradually improve. Whilst we undoubtedly still need to make some strong additions in the summer, the squad is definitely stronger now than it was the day before the January transfer window closed.
Jarrod Bowen makes West Ham deadline day admission. The Hammers signed Evan Ferguson on loan until the end of the season on deadline day. The 20-year-old will undoubtedly be a very useful option through the middle for West Ham.
The Hammers fans wanted more signings on transfer deadline day, but in fairness, we did see a familiar face return to the London Stadium.
James Ward-Prowse returned to West Ham after a failed loan spell with Nottingham Forest.
If nothing else, he will certainly improve Potter’s options in the middle of the park and make us a real danger from set-pieces again.
Bowen spoke to WHUFC.com, and admitted that he and his teammates were delighted to have Ward-Prowse back: “I think it’s a really exciting time. Obviously, you’ve got Prowsey (James Ward-Prowse) coming back now as well [from a loan spell at Nottingham Forest], which is a real buzz for the lads.“
I think Bowen’s comments tell us all we need to know about Ward-Prowse. He’s obviously a highly respected player at the London Stadium, and his return may well give everyone a big lift.
Where will James Ward-Prowse fit in back at West Ham?
I personally think that the 30-year-old will be very useful for the Hammers.
After joining West Ham for £30 million in the summer of 2023, he bagged a hugely impressive seven goals and 11 assists during 51 games in his debut campaign for the club (Transfermarkt).
So he’s obviously a threat in the final third, especially from dead-ball situations.
However, I don’t think he will start regularly for us. Potter seems to favour a 3-4-2-1 system.
We all know that Ward-Prowse cannot operate in a double pivot in the middle of the park due to his lack of pace and power.
It didn’t work when David Moyes tried it last season and it should never happen again.
I do think he could be utilised in a more attacking role at times, due to his ability to press aggressively from the front with his impressive stamina and work-rate.
That said, he’s not getting in the team ahead of Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus or Carlos Soler. So I think we’ll mostly see Ward-Prowse used as a substitute, coming on with around 20 minutes left in games.
He’ll definitely start some matches, but he’s nothing more than a squad player for us now. That’s not a bad thing though – every team needs reliable players who do a job for them from the bench.
Jarrod Bowen shared how happy he was when he heard that the midfielder was returning to West Ham on deadline day.
That in itself proves that bringing him back was the correct call.
Ward-Prowse won’t be as influential for us now as he was during the 2023/24 season though, that’s for sure.
