Gary Lineker makes new West Ham relegation prediction – ‘They’d be hopeless without Bowen’
Gary Lineker believes that West Ham’s future in the Premier League will rely on Jarrod Bowen.
West Ham’s 3-2 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday leaves them three points adrift of safety, and concerns are growing over their ability to drag themselves out of this mess.
Morgan Rogers’ brace condemned the Hammers to a sixth home defeat of the campaign, and reinforced the notion that their 14-year stay in the top flight could be over soon.
Bowen has been one of the few bright sparks in West Ham’s miserable campaign, and with Manchester City next, it won’t get better any time soon.
West Ham are still favourites to be relegated, although Lineker is confident they could still defy the odds.
Gary Lineker backs West Ham to stay up
Bowen’s winner in the 2023 Europa Conference League final etched his name into the history of West Ham forever, but he is now tasked with keeping them in the top flight.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast on 15 December, Lineker has placed his faith in Bowen to lead the Hammers out of trouble.
He said: “West Ham would be hopeless, they’d have no chance of staying up if it weren’t for Bowen. I think because of him, they’ll be ok.”
Bowen has been incredibly consistent for West Ham since joining from Hull City in 2020.
He scored his fifth goal of the season on Sunday, and if he were to lead the Hammers towards Premier League safety, it would be one of his best career achievements.
Bowen’s importance to West Ham cannot be understated, and it’s imperative that David Sullivan does not let him leave E20.
If Bowen were to leave, not only would West Ham need a new captain, but they’d face a huge task trying to replace his output.
Jarrod Bowen will go down as one of West Ham’s modern-day legends
Whenever Bowen does leave the London Stadium, it will certainly be a sad day for West Ham.
Even if you discount his goal against Fiorentina in that memorable final, he has scored 79 goals for the Hammers in all competitions.
Bowen also registered his 100th goal contribution in the Premier League against Villa, and sits just seven goals behind Michail Antonio on the Irons’ all-time top scorers list.
Having helped West Ham to back-to-back top-seven finishes between 2020 and 2022, Bowen has a completely different task on his hands this season, although keeping West Ham afloat could mean a whole lot more to his legacy in E20.
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