‘Wow, they’re in big trouble’ – Alan Pardew fears catastrophic Jarrod Bowen blow at West Ham
Alan Pardew has huge concerns about a long-term injury to Jarrod Bowen at West Ham.
Liverpool beat West Ham 2-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday to bring the home side’s revival under Nuno Espirito Santo to a halt.
Lucas Paqueta’s red card against Arne Slot’s men has drawn plenty of criticism and the result leaves the Irons just a point outside the relegation zone.
Ex-West Ham boss Pardew feels captain and talisman Bowen could be the difference to whether the club stay up or not, and is worried about what happens if they are hit by a major absence from the winger.
Jarrod Bowen injury could send West Ham down fears Alan Pardew
Speaking live on talkSPORT after the game he expressed his concerns around the 28-year-old over the rest of the season.
He said: “What I worry about with West Ham is can you imagine if Bowen got a long-term injury?
“For me, he could keep them in the division, he’s that good, with the team around him. I mean, the team doesn’t look great but he could do enough.
“If he gets injured, wow they’re in big trouble. I hope that doesn’t happen.”
Bowen or bust nothing new for West Ham
Most of the worry around Bowen in recent years has been the possibility that he might have his head turned by a big-money move away, but an injury would arguably be even worse given it wouldn’t even come with a huge transfer fee.
Liverpool have long been linked to Bowen but their own struggles under Slot might work in West Ham’s favour in that they are currently less of an attractive proposition than they have been for a while.
The Hammers captain has given fans remarkably little to worry about when it comes to a possible exit, but with his quality it would be too much to expect him to remain if they failed to escape the drop, and Bowen is thought to be willing to leave West Ham if they are relegated.
With Paqueta so unsettled it is hard to see what central point this squad would rally around if the skipper wasn’t involved for any length of time, so his form and fitness remains absolutely crucial for Nuno.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest West Ham United news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @westhamzone247