Joe Cole has hailed Jarrod Bowen’s excellent start to the season and believes the West Ham striker can “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anyone at the club”.
With six goals and two assists in all competitions this season, Bowen has continued his good form from last season and was recently rewarded with a new contract for his performances.
The 26-year-old scored the winning goal to help West Ham beat Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa League final in Prague in June and signed a new seven-year deal with the club in early October.
Speaking about his impact on David Moyes’ team, former West Ham winger Cole praised Bowen’s humble attitude and desire to help the team succeed.
“All those boys from Prague [the team that won the Conference Europe title] are club legends,” Cole said on TNT Sports.
“But Jarrod has the ability to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anyone at West Ham. He’s a very talented player and a humble boy. You can’t help but wish him the best of luck.”
Bowen had a great season last season, scoring 13 goals and dishing out eight assists in all competitions.
Asked if he thought the winger, who arrived at the club from Hull in 2020, was pushing the team forward, Cole said, “He is certainly pushing the team forward. The ability he has is the ability to learn and absorb information.
“I remember speaking to him this time last year and he impressed me. He asked me questions because he hadn’t played for England at the time. I told him ‘England is definitely next, Jarrod’.
“He said ‘yes’, he asked me some questions and then I knew he was a top player because I’d seen him play. But I think he’s only going to get better and better because he was only 25 at the time and he wanted to learn.
“Since Prague, he has been improving. He is one of the most in-form players in the league. I think it’s fantastic that he’s signed a new contract and I think it’s a sign of humility for him to say he’s got a long way to go to become a club legend.”
Bowen was not included in the starting line-up after scoring in West Ham’s loss to Aston Villa at the weekend.
Nevertheless, he has scored in helping the Irons to defeats against Brighton, Luton and Sheffield United this season as West Ham have won four of their first nine Premier League games.
Carlton Cole, who appeared alongside Joe Cole in TNT Sports’ pre-match coverage, added that he was not surprised Bowen had signed a new contract.
The 68-goal scorer for the club said, “He’s a really good kid.”
“Even in the summer, when we went to Australia for pre-season, we had a good chat on the way back.
“He’s happy at West Ham and it’s no surprise that he’s signed a new contract because he believes in what he’s doing here and the program West Ham can offer him.
“For a player of his caliber to sign such a long-lasting contract at this stage of his career shows that he thinks highly of West Ham, so Kudos to him.”
