Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen has spoken out on Lucas Paqueta abandoning West Ham during a relegation battle in order to force a move to Flamengo.
It was Bowen who ran on to and finished Paqueta’s perfectly timed and weighted through ball to win West Ham’s only major trophy of the last 46 years.
Bowen is a certified Hammers legend and the club’s top player of the Premier League era as his record for the most goal contributions proves.
The skipper is closing in on being West Ham’s record Premier League goalscorer too.
Bowen’s captaincy and Paqueta exit dominate Hammers headlines
Whether he breaks Michail Antonio’s record this season could go a long way to determining whether the Irons survive relegation.
But besides all the talk over Paqueta pushing to leave – in both the summer and winter windows – Bowen’s captaincy has been the other big talking point in east London.
A graphic showing Lucas Paqueta's all-time statistics for West Ham.
Credit: Getty Images/Sebastian Frej/MB Media
It emerged Graham Potter privately questioned Bowen’s West Ham captaincy credentials after he was sacked back in September.
Bowen responded to Potter with his celebration after scoring in West Ham’s draw at Everton in Nuno Espirito Santo’s first game in charge.
Nuno has kept Bowen as skipper but several flash points – including his failure to talk Paqueta down when he was brainlessly sent off for two yellow cards in quick succession against Liverpool – have seen debate rage over who should be captain.
Lucas Paqueta looks on during the 2026 Brazilian Super Cup between Flamengo and Corinthians
Photo by Ton Molina/Getty Images
Paqueta’s insistence on leaving West Ham for Flamengo slap bang in the middle of a relegation battle has sullied his name among many supporters.
Especially because they and the club backed Paqueta from beginning to the end of his two-year spot-fixing ordeal.
Most Hammers fans feel Paqueta owed them at least the last four months of the season to try and help keep the club up.
That ship has now sailed but what may surprise some is the reaction of the skipper.
Because Bowen has made a shock statement on Paqueta abandoning West Ham.
Since arriving back in Brazil, things have been far from dull for the former Hammer.
Bowen makes shock statement on Paqueta abandoning West Ham
There was instant karma for Paqueta as he endured a nightmare second debut for Flamengo having left West Ham.
Hammers fans won’t believe what Paqueta really did to force the Flamengo move as details emerged.
When Dimitri Payet effectively went on strike to force a move away from West Ham for family reasons, captain of the time Mark Noble and others reportedly kicked the Frenchman out of the team’s WhatsApp group.
Noble has since admitted he wished Payet had talked to him and handled things differently.
But Bowen has a completely different perspective on Paqueta’s behaviour.
ACF Fiorentina v West Ham United FC - UEFA Europa Conference League Final 2022/23
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
The Hammers skipper says that while nobody wanted to see him leave, he could not watch Paqueta playing without his trademark smile and joy any longer.
And despite his actions to force a West Ham exit, Bowen admits he is happy seeing his former teammate return home.
“Lucas went through hell over the last two years and came back,” Bowen told ESPN Brasil.
“And for me, he wasn’t just a teammate, but also a friend, because we shared the field for many years. I think, in the end, he wanted to come home. And that says a lot about him as a person.
“He just wanted to play with a smile on his face.
Bowen: I hope to see Paqueta play with a smile on his face again
“And when he came in the other day, I spoke to him for five minutes and said, ‘come back and play with that smile back on your face, because that’s the Lucas everyone loves to see’.
“Of course, you never want to lose a teammate like him, with the added bonus of being a friend, but I wish him all the best and hope to see him again with that smile that makes him so special on the pitch.”
Paqueta and West Ham have both since blamed the FA for his Hammers departure.
In a statement, West Ham confirmed the deal to sell Paqueta to Flamengo was done reluctantly after he demanded to leave for personal reasons directly linked to the impact the FA’s case against him for spot-fixing had on his mental health and family.
The Hammers’ hierarchy even went as far as to suggest the length of time taken for the FA case to be resolved was to blame for Paqueta wanting to leave the club for a return to Brazil.
Whether West Ham can survive without Paqueta remains to be seen.
But performances since he went AWOL have been among the best this season with three wins and a fine first half display in the 3-2 collapse against Chelsea.