Thomas Tuchel is not one to mince his words and now he has made it clear three Arsenal players and other England hopefuls must start matching West Ham talisman Jarrod Bowen.
Celebrity West Ham fan – and Jarrod Bowen’s father-in-law – Danny Dyer may be biased, but he made a salient point about Arsenal star Bukayo Saka last week.
Dyer said it ‘does his nut in’ that Gunners ace Saka is an automatic pick ahead of West Ham captain Bowen for the right side of England’s attack – pointing to his son-in-law’s superior numbers despite playing in a much worse side.
To rub salt in the wound, Saka’s Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke even started ahead of West Ham’s Bowen when England played Uruguay.
Arsenal trio questioned as Tuchel leaves Bowen off his list of under-performers
An injury meant Bowen replaced Madueke in the first half. And when Madueke joined Saka in pulling out of the Three Lions squad to return to Arsenal, Bowen looked certain for a start against Japan.
Thomas Tuchel once again snubbed Bowen, though, as he was restricted to another substitute appearance.
Will Jarrod Bowen make England’s World Cup squad? 🏆
Tell us why in the comments…
West Ham star Jarrod Bowen registered an assist in England's 5-0 win over Latvia
Photo by Mateusz Slodkowski/Getty Images
Things may not have really clicked for Bowen in an England shirt – and he is struggling for form at West Ham too ahead of Tuchel announcing his World Cup squad at the end of next month.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Many pundits, journalists and fans are predicting Bowen will miss out.
Jarrod Bowen playing for England against Uruguay.
Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images
But Tuchel has inadvertently made it clear that an Arsenal trio and other stars must match West Ham’s Bowen to make the plane.
Tuchel has admitted that the “pure numbers (goals and assists) of our players – except for Harry (Kane) – are not the outstanding numbers we would normally expect.
He said: “I would love them to have more numbers.”
Tuchel then named the players he expects to be posting more goals and assists than they currently are – singling out Saka, Madueke and their Arsenal teammate Eberechi Eze.
Only Kane has more goals and assists than Bowen as World Cup squad decision looms large
The German also put on record that Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Phil Foden must also bring more to the table in terms of goals and assists.
The one player not singled out of England’s attackers was Hammers skipper Bowen.
Which West Ham star do YOU think will go the furthest at the World Cup? 🌎
Tomas Soucek of Czechia celebrates scoring his teams second penalty in the shootout during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Czechia and Denmark at EPET ARENA on March 31, 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic.
And it is clear to see why.
Tuchel is a man who doesn’t mince his words. In fact they are often carefully chosen and calculated.
The reason Bowen was not mentioned by Tuchel is because he is the only England attacker bar Kane to be putting up the numbers he is talking about – and the West Ham man is not even having a good season by his own very high standards.
UEFA EURO 2024Serbia v England
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
Despite carrying a team fighting relegation, Bowen has 14 goal contributions in the Premier League this season.
That is the most of any English attacker in the Premier League and only behind Bayern Munich star Kane overall.
For context, Saka and Madueke have just 12 combined between them for Arsenal – the league leaders.
Kane is in a league of his own with 36 but it is West Ham’s Bowen in second place with 14.
Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has 12 playing as the playmaker in chief for a side fighting for a Champions League place and only Danny Welbeck (12) and Morgan Gibbs-White (11) get anywhere close.
Most goal involvements (G/A) by England’s attacking options in Europe’s top five leagues this season:
◉ 36 – Harry Kane
◎ 14 – Jarrod Bowen
◎ 13 – Morgan Rogers
◎ 12 – Danny Welbeck
◎ 11 – Morgan Gibbs-White
When Kane's not playing do England lack goals? 🤔#ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/PmcqGOtmrv
— WhoScored (@WhoScored) April 1, 2026
View Tweet
Bowen may not have made a lasting impression in his cameos for England – but then who has?
Tuchel has publicly questioned whether Phil Foden will make the squad while calling out the others for not putting up good enough numbers.
If that is the barometer, the good news for West Ham is that Bowen has a great incentive to improve on his 14 goals and assists in the final seven games.
What a fitting end to the season it would be for Bowen to keep the Hammers up while sealing his place on the plane for the World Cup.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox