Anthony Onifade

Mon 9 October 2023 14:40, UK Updated Mon 9 October 2023 16:08, UK

West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen has committed his future to the club with a whopping new seven-year contract, a strong statement made by the Hammers to the rest of the Premier League.

The club announced on Sunday (8 October) that the England international penned a lucrative contract until 2030 at the London Stadium after their entertaining 2-2 draw with Newcastle United.

It is believed that Bowen’s new deal does not contain a release clause and he has now become the highest-paid player at the club in terms of basic wage (Sean Whetstone, 8 October).

The Hammers had been keen to avoid another Declan Rice situation where they were forced to see one of their prized assets leave for their cross-city rivals in a whopping £100m-plus transfer.

Bowen’s performances for the Hammers will have certainly put a number of the Premier League’s elite on high alert given his tremendous success at the London Stadium.

The new, agreed long-term contract for Bowen, who had attracted interest from a clutch of suitors including Liverpool (The Athletic 11 September), and even the Gunners (Luke Edwards, 5 October) is certainly a strong indication of a club who continues to improve but also send out a message to the so-called big clubs that they are no longer a selling entity.

The Englishman has been nothing short of superb since signing from Hull City in January 2020, having scored a number of memorable goals along the way.

After the sale of Rice to the Gunners over the summer, it will have certainly set a bad precedent that the Hammers were always open for business on their key assets.

Brazilian maestro Lucas Paqueta was the subject of strong interest from Manchester City soon after Rice’s departure and could have certainly joined the English midfielder had it not been for his betting scandal that meant the Premier League champions turned their attentions elsewhere.

However, Bowen’s new deal not only sends out a strong statement that the club will fight tooth and nail to keep their best players at the club but also the fact that they have the financial means and ambitions to do so.

Paqueta will certainly look at Bowen’s new deal as an incentive to remain at the club but also send a message that West Ham United now have the ambitions to match it with some of the best teams on the land and in Europe.

An impressive statement made by the East Londoners and one which certainly puts the whole of the Premier League on notice that West Ham United are on the up once more.

In other West Ham news, one London Stadium star could well be forced out by Moyes in January after what he did against Freiburg.