By Conor Hogan
**It has become clear in recent seasons, including this season that West Ham are heavily reliant on skipper Jarrod Bowen for both his goals and creativity.**
The winger is undoubtedly the Hammers’ star man and has been their top goalscorer in the last four Premier League seasons, netting on 47 occasions in that time. Bowen has scored 59 times for the Hammers in the league since his arrival from Hull in January 2020 and could overtake Michail Antonio’s 68-goal record as the club’s top Premier League goalscorer of all time this season.
It’s not just his goalscoring prowess that the Hammers rely on; Bowen recorded eight assists last season and six the season before that. To be honest, he’s been our only real consistent creative player since he joined the club, players like Lucas Paqueta, who is meant to be the creative hub of the team hasn’t been good enough creatively.
In 2025, Bowen has been an indispensable asset for the Irons, particularly in the final third. Since February, there have only been three occasions where West Ham have scored in a Premier League match and Jarrod Bowen did not directly contribute – the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in April, the 5-1 defeat to Chelsea in August, and the Hammers’ recent 3-1 victory against Newcastle at London Stadium.
The Hammers looked much sharper in attack against the Magpies, with Crysencio Summerville and Callum Wilson putting in impressive displays, while Lucas Paquetá scored an excellent equaliser and was superb throughout the game. Tomáš Souček came on as a makeshift false nine and did surprisingly well, given his natural midfield tendencies. The Czech international even got on the scoresheet for the first time in the league this season when he scrambled the ball over the line in the 97th minute.
Though it could be argued that Bowen’s shot at Nick Pope set up Souček to seal the three points for the Hammers, Bowen didn’t score or assist any of the team’s three goals. While Hammers fans love seeing the No. 20 on the scoresheet, it was refreshing to see other players contributing to West Ham’s attacking output. Bowen scored in six of the Hammers’ final eight games of last season and has three goals to his name this campaign.
Since the start of this season, only Lucas Paquetá has also scored more than once for West Ham – Callum Wilson, Mateus Fernandes and Tomáš Souček each have one goal. Hopefully the Hammers can continue the form from Sunday and spread
Given West Ham’s struggles in front of goal in 2025 – and their heavy reliance on their talisman – Sunday’s win was a breath of fresh air. Next up is Burnley, a side that has already shipped 19 goals this season; only West Ham and Wolves have conceded more. It’s a golden opportunity for the Irons to build on their newfound confidence in attack. Here’s hoping they seize it.