Divin Mubama may now be ready to call it quits at West Ham United after David Moyes striker admission
David Moyes admitted he may have to start Jarrod Bowen at centre-forward regularly this season which may well be the final straw for young West Ham United academy star Divin Mubama.
The England international started up-front and was on target as the Hammers beat Arsenal 3-1 to set up a EFL Cup quarter-final trip to Liverpool, ending a run of three straight defeats.
And Moyes speaking in his press conference on Friday (as per Independent, 3 November) ahead of Saturday’s clash with Brentford, the West Ham boss admitted he is pondering the use of Bowen up front so his side keeps evolving, comments which will not go down well with the first-team hungry Mubama.
Moyes said: “I think we all saw something the other night. Was that the reason we played much better? Maybe. I think we’re all looking at it and saying, we’re needing to keep evolving. It’s like with anything else when you talk about moving managers on or moving players on, you have to keep finding new ways.
“I’m loathe to say he’s suddenly a No9 because we might need him to play No7 and do the job that he’s doing there.
“But in time I see it changing for Jarrod, I really do.
“We had a bit of a blip after the international break but the game the other night got us back on track. And the performance, more importantly, from the likes of Mo and Jarrod and Paqueta got us thinking there are other solutions to what we’ve got here.”
West Ham’s transfer business has been famously poor when it comes to signing strikers, so Moyes’ comments surrounding Bowen certainly aren’t out of a few fans’ thinking.
But what kind of message does it send out to specialist strikers desperate for opportunities and first-team football and that certainly involves Mubama, who only just recently rejected the chance to remain at the club.
The Athletic journalist, Roshane Thomas shared on his personal Twitter account on Monday 30 October that the young striker has rejected a contract extension at the London Stadium but the Hammers are continuing discussions to get him to commit.
However, reliable West Ham journalists Claret & Hugh shared on Thursday (3 November) that the youngster could be contemplating the possibility of quitting the club given his “diminished” opportunities at the East Londoners this season.
The England Under-19 forward is yet to feature in the league and was not in the matchday squad for the 1-0 loss to Everton last Saturday or the EFL Cup win over Arsenal — only played 24 minutes of first-team football this season under manager Moyes.
There will be no prizes for guessing as to why Mubama has made his decision to reject the club’s contract extension and that’s certainly down to his lack of opportunities at the club so far this season.
The West Ham United sensation was supposed to be third choice after Michail Antonio and Danny Ings, but Moyes’ decision to play Jarrod Bowen up front with Mohammed Kudus in a supporting role against the Gunners certainly implies that Moyes doesn’t see him as part of his plans yet despite his rapid progress with the youth sides.
The 19-year-old is highly-regarded within the East Londoners and amongst fans given his rampant performances with the youth setup in recent seasons, scoring 13 goals in 20 Premier League 2 games last season [Transfermarkt] and even bagging a goal for the first-team during their Europa Conference League triumphant run.
And it seems his agents believe that he is worthy of Premier League opportunities too with reliable West Ham United source Six Foot Two (3 November) sharing that have made “outrageous” financial demands to the club in order to secure his long-term future at the London Stadium.
It is believed that his agents want Premier League first-team starter wages for their client which has led to a standoff in negotiations on a new contract.
However, given his limited minutes and the Hammers wanting to secure him regular football elsewhere on loan, it remains to be seen if Mubama will commit to the club in the near future.
Moyes’ comments could certainly be a real kick in the teeth for the exceptionally gifted youngster who may well be pondering the possibility of quitting the Irons in January to go to a club that will celebrate and chaperone his talents.
In other West Ham news, an update has been provided on the behind-the-scenes news regarding Vanessa Gold’s plans to sell a significant portion of her family’s shares.