07 October 2023 , 16:00
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David Moyes does not think Jarrod Bowen is ready to be a No9 just yet but they are working towards making him the central part of West Ham ’s attack.
Bowen’s impressive start to the season has earned him an England recall for next week’s games against Australia and Italy.
The 26-year-old has scored five goals in seven league appearances and, ahead of tomorrow’s meeting against Newcastle at London Stadium, Moyes confirmed that they have been working on his finishing.
And while the Hammers boss has a track record of turning wide players into central attackers, including current first-choice centre forward Michail Antonio, he considers Bowen a work in progress.
Moyes said: “When he was signed from Hull, I was phoning the people who I knew there. They said he plays on the right, in the middle, he doesn’t like it on the left. So, when he came he wasn’t ready, he was still getting used to the Premier League, but he is now sharper, quicker, he can ride challenges.
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“He is still not ready yet [to be a No9], and probably there is the history here of Marko Arnautovic from a winger to a centre forward, and Michail Antonio, but it hasn’t been an easy market to find a centre forward. What he can do is score. Can Jarrod be a No.9? We are still sort of in the manufacturing stage to see if we think that can happen.”
Bowen did not learn of his England recall until an hour before Gareth Southgate’s squad was announced. The winger was getting ready for West Ham’s Europa League game at German side Freiburg on Thursday evening when a messaged arrived.
Although there was a reluctance to make too much of it because clubmate James Ward-Prowse was again snubbed despite settling into life in East London seamlessly.
(Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)“I just tapped him on the shoulder,” Moyes said of informing Bowen. “None of us knew until around 1pm and we got a message. It is no more than he deserved, but I didn’t want to shout about it because James Ward-Prowse may have been disappointed he wasn’t involved.
“Ultimately, we are all pleased for Jarrod. I want him to grab the opportunity when he gets the chance and show what he can do.”
As for the challenge posed by Newcastle, who destroyed Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night, Moyes said: “I think Newcastle are one of the strongest teams not only in the Premier League but in European football just now.
“We have had some good games against those sorts of teams at home so far this year, we will try and do it again. We will need to do a lot better than we did against them last year but we are in a better period at the moment.”