Carlton Cole predicts ‘massive’ Jarrod Bowen to step up after Declan Rice West Ham United exit
Carlton Cole has backed Jarrod Bowen to step up for West Ham United next season following the exit of Declan Rice.
The former Hammers captain has left the London Stadium to join Premier League rivals Arsenal in a £105million deal.
And while Cole believes it will be a team effort in all competitions next season, he has suggested that Bowen will be a “massive” part of the team going forward.
“Now these boys have muscle memory, they know how to fight as a team,” Cole said live on talkSPORT. “And there will be players added to it.
“I know Declan is gone, but you have to move on. You live again, life goes on. Bowen is going to be a massive part of this team going forward.”
Key player
Rice was, of course, a key player for West Ham, with the midfield maestro undoubtedly the standout man at the London Stadium over the past few years.
His loss will definitely be felt in East London, but the club must now quickly move on and find a suitable replacement as soon as possible.
It will not be a like-for-like replacement by any stretch, but there are certainly players out there capable of hitting the heights expected of them in claret and blue.
Whether or not the Hammers can persuade them to come to the club this summer is another matter entirely.
Fortunately, however, they do have very talented players elsewhere, and star winger Bowen is certainly one of them.
He wasn’t quite at his electric best last season, but he will undoubtedly be back on top of his game very soon, with West Ham needing him and their other senior players to step up following Rice’s exit.
In other West Ham news, a transfer development has emerged as one Hammers player is “increasingly likely” to make a switch to another Premier League club.