Danny Murphy admits West Ham fans won’t like him after his latest comments. Jarrod Bowen is “such a good player” that it’s surprising he’s still at West Ham United, Danny Murphy has said.
Speaking on talkSPORT (5 February, 10:06), Murphy anticipated a backlash from Hammers fans for saying he’s “surprised” that Bowen has stayed at the London Stadium for as long as he has. The 28-year-old returned from a five-match absence through injury to score the opener against Chelsea on Monday (3 February), with Murphy taken aback by how “sharp” the Irons skipper was in his first game back.
Murphy said: “They were really unlucky; [West Ham] didn’t deserve to lose I don’t think. Bowen, he’s not played – I think he’s been out five, six weeks – he is sharp.
“Good touch, good finisher. I’m still surprised he’s there – I know West Ham fans won’t like me saying that, but he’s such a good player.”
Jarrod Bowen transfer would be a disaster for West Ham
Murphy isn’t the only pundit wondering how Bowen hasn’t been plucked from East London by a ‘bigger’ club than the Irons, but the longer he remains a Hammer, the more he embeds himself in claret and blue.
Bowen making a scoring return to the starting XI against Chelsea, netting the first goal in an eventual 2-1 defeat for the Hammers, should hardly come as a surprise, given how vital he is for their fortunes.
Of his seven Premier League goals so far this season, five have proven decisive in wins, with Bowen making the difference late on in 2-1 victories over both Manchester United and Wolves respectively.
As a result, it’s no wonder Graham Potter threw his captain straight into the starting lineup at Stamford Bridge; Bowen leading the line for the time being as Brighton loanee Evan Ferguson gets up to speed.
Deadline Day arrivals will lift some of the burden off Bowen’s shoulders, but as long as he wears the captain’s armband at the London Stadium, expect any approaches for him to be quickly rebuffed.
In other West Ham news, one Irons star showed why he should still be in Potter’s first-choice XI despite their top new additions.
