West Ham relegation verdict emerges after Jarrod Bowen injury news
West Ham United could be anywhere without Jarrod Bowen with the remainder of the squad a disappointment all season, according to Ian Darke.
The TV commentator, speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, admitted the Hammers are “over-reliant” on Bowen, whose recent injury has ruled him out for several weeks.
In the meantime, Julen Lopetegui has been sent packing as head coach after just 22 games, with Graham Potter taking charge of his first game in the FA Cup defeat by Aston Villa on Friday night (10 January).
“I don’t know if they’d be in the bottom three without Jarrod Bowen, but there are too many players underperforming which has made them over-reliant on him,” Darke explained.
“He’s been inspirational as a captain and frankly, everyone around him has been pretty disappointing.
“I would ask where they would be without Bowen – probably not relegated, but you do wonder where they’d be without him and that’s what they’re dealing with now.”
West Ham United without Jarrod Bowen
Despite the heavy investment into the squad over the summer at West Ham, the Irons have struggled without Bowen in their ranks.
The captain has nine goal contributions in the Premier League so far this campaign, with Tomas Soucek the only other player to directly score or assist five goals or more.
The Hammers have lost their matches since his injury an hour into the 5-0 dismantling by Liverpool, with supporters counting down the days until he can flourish under Potter.
In other West Ham news, Tim Steidten’s summer failures have been highlighted after what happened against Aston Villa.
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