West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen has been called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming friendly matches against Uruguay and Japan.
Bowen had been sweating on his inclusion in the Three Lions squad following what has, by his standards, been a slightly underwhelming season. However, despite the Hammers’ struggles and occasional dips in form, his output has remained impressively consistent.
There had been growing calls for Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman to be included, but Bowen’s reliability has correctly won out. The West Ham skipper has registered more goals and assists in the Premier League than any other England-qualified player this season — a statistic that is hard to ignore.
The last thing we need as West Ham fans is our best player becoming disgruntled because he can’t make the national team. Fair play to Tuchel for overlooking the Hammers Premier League Position and picking on merit rather than reputation.
Rank Player Goals + Assists xG + xA
1 Erling Haaland 29 23.1
2 Bruno Fernandes 23 18
3 Igor Thiago 20 19.1
4 João Pedro 19 15.2
5 Antoine Semenyo 19 12.2
6 Hugo Ekitiké 15 12.6
7 Harry Wilson 15 8.9
8 Jarrod Bowen 14 10
9 Morgan Rogers 13 8.7
10 Bruno Guimarães 13 8.5
Bowen’s Versatility Key to England Selection
Another major factor working in Bowen’s favour is his versatility. England boss Tuchel is known to value players who can operate across multiple positions, and Bowen’s ability to play anywhere across the front line makes him a valuable asset.
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In truth, when you combine his consistency, work rate and adaptability, it always felt likely that the West Ham captain would get the nod.