West Ham United need Mohammed Kudus’ goals more than ever with Jarrod Bowen out
West Ham have lost Jarrod Bowen to injury – Mohammed Kudus must help the Hammers pick up the slack in front of goal.
Bowen was forced off early in the second half of West Ham’s 2-1 win over Wolves and head coach David Moyes has since revealed that the timescale for the forward’s return remains unclear, though it is likely to be a matter of weeks at a minimum.
The England international is the Hammers’ top scorer across all competitions this term, netting 19 times – with 15 of those strikes coming in the Premier League.
Losing his goals for any length of time is sure to be detrimental for Moyes’ men, who face a tough test as they travel to Germany for a Europa League quarter-final clash with unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
Mohammed Kudus can step up for West Ham
With Bowen and his goals sidelined, it is imperative that other individuals shoulder more responsibility in front of goal.
The next-highest scorer in all competitions in the squad – and the only other player to hit double figures – is Kudus, who has notched 12 strikes. Seven of those have come in league competition, with four in the Europa League and one in the League Cup.
The Ghana international is arguably the only member of the team with the skill set to replace what has been lost through Bowen’s absence.
Both offer a direct threat in transition and have the quality to punish opponents in the final third – but it is Bowen’s ruthless efficiency in front of goal that Kudus must inherit in order for the team to cope in this period.
The 23-year-old differs from his older counterpart most obviously through his tendency to dribble – attempting 7.8 take-ons per 90 in the Premier League this term and completing 4.2 per 90 [FBref].
Bowen, meanwhile, averages just 2.82 take-ons per 90.
That capacity to escape pressure and carry the side up the pitch is invaluable for West Ham but Kudus may need to position himself closer to goal and look to occupy dangerous pockets of space without the ball at his feet for a time in order to increase his volume of goals.
Even without the burden of extra responsibility, this is an area in which Kudus has room to improve further. He has netted just once in his last 12 Premier League outings – a poor spell for a player of his undoubted quality.
The final weeks of the season will be crucial in defining West Ham’s season – they will need Kudus firing on all cylinders if they are to end well.
In other West Ham news, the club are reportedly ‘ready to listen to offers’ for a star defender and already have a potential replacement lined up.
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