Nuno Espirito Santo has praised Jarrod Bowen’s style as a captain amid criticism from West Ham United fans.
While Bowen has undoubtedly been a key player since the moment he arrived here in east London back in 2020, quite whether he’s a suitable captain has been a debate.
Indeed, some supporters believe Bowen shouldn’t be the captain at West Ham, as he is not a leader – in their view at least – in the traditional sense.
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West Ham star Jarrod Bowen registered an assist in England's 5-0 win over Latvia
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Rather, he leads by example.
Still, wherever one lands on the Bowen debate, Nuno has little doubt in his suitability for the armband.
Nuno praises Jarrod Bowen for captaincy role at West Ham
Ahead of Monday’s huge game against Crystal Palace, Nuno has been speaking to Sky Sports.
The Portuguese hailed the work that Bowen does as captain, talking up how much respect he commands from his teammates.
Nuno said: “He’s been amazing. Jarrod has been huge for us.
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“He leads by example. The teammates trust him. He’s the club captain. It means a lot. He’s taking on board this responsibility.
“Jarrod doesn’t stop for one minute.
“This is the main message that we want as a squad to see. Look, no matter which situation we are in, we keep giving it, we keep insisting, we keep believing. And Jarrod is the proof of that.”
Jarrod Bowen’s record as permanent West Ham United captain
Bowen replaced Kurt Zouma as captain in the summer of 2024, coinciding with a difficult few years for the club.
In fact, West Ham have only actually ever won 22 out of the 72 games since that point, giving him just a 30.56% win percentage while wearing the armband.
Clearly, no one is blaming Bowen for that. He has constantly bailed this team out of trouble, even if some supporters would like more in the way of obvious passion.
Bowen does not believe he’s done enough to help West Ham, which probably sums up why he does have the armband.
He may not be a Terry Butcher or a Tony Adams in terms of beating chests, but he is willing to carry the burden and criticise himself for it.
Of the many issues facing West Ham, the fact Bowen is captain really isn’t one.
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