Bowen commits future to West Ham despite relegation

Jarrod Bowen has committed his future to West Ham despite their relegation from the Premier League.

There were doubts over whether Bowen would stay at the club for their first season in the Championship since 2012, with midfielder Mateus Fernandes having already left for Tottenham in an £85m move and winger Crysencio Summerville wanted by Manchester United, among others.

Bowen joined West Ham from Hull City in a £22m deal in January 2020 and signed a new seven-year contract in October 2023 - and he is determined to win promotion with West Ham back to the Premier League.

"The main motivation for me is staying and bringing this club back into the Premier League where we belong," the forward said.

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"There is always going to be rumours and different things going on. For me, it was only right to speak when the time is right, in circumstances like this.

"It hurt everyone and it should hurt everyone. It was such a disappointing thing but it doesn't last forever.

"We flew out to Prague in the Czech Republic to meet with Daniel [Kretinsky] and Jiri [Svarc]. The ambition that I got from them in terms of the direction the club wants to move in interested me a lot.

"It didn't take a lot for me, as this club means a lot to me. I did an interview after the game, my vision is to get this club back into the Premier League.

"I have been here six and a half years, I transitioned from a boy in the Championship into a man and now captain of the club. It is a huge honour and I see myself in years to come as a die-hard West Ham fan.

"So I always think, what would they want as a fan if they got an opportunity to play on the pitch?

"50,000 season ticket holders in the Championship is some feat. It goes to show the loyalty that they have for the club. They want to see their club back in the Premier League, we need everybody to be a part of that.

"It is about what we create as a group and what environment we create.

"When things are hard, we have to put an arm round each other, look at our mate in the eye and know that we're going to go again in three days' time after a game.

"There is going to be a different pressure on us now. The most important thing is a desire, an attitude and a winning mentality. We're looking forward to the first game already.

"We are moving in the right direction as a club. For me, I look in years and years to come, when I retire, what will bring me the most happiness? That is getting this club back in the Premier League."