20 October 2023 , 23:00
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David Moyes expects more players to follow in Jarrod Bowen’s footsteps by committing to seven-year contracts. but the West Ham manager insists he is in no rush to sort out his own future despite his deal expiring at the end of this season.
Bowen, 26, signed the longest contract in the club’s history last week, with Moyes delighted to tie the England international down until 2030.
When asked if he would be keen on hanging around for the same duration, the Scot replied: "I'm looking forward to working for as long as I can but I'll also make a decision when I think it's right to hang up my stopwatch and whistle.
"At the moment I'm fine. I'm only focused on the team doing well, keeping us going and keeping the focus on that. I'm sure there'll be a time that comes when we'll discuss it but I'm happy to go along just now and see what happens.”
Despite the relaxed approach Moyes, 60, is very keen to remain in east London having guided West Ham to their first trophy in 43 years last season. And he believes things can get even better for a club that not long ago was more focused on relegation battles than European success.
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He added: “I always believe the best is still to come. I had to believe that when we had difficult times and I'm actually now saying 'Wow, look how good I've got the team at the moment.’
"I genuinely think we’re going to keep going on that line. I always think the best part of me is I can build football clubs and give them a level of stability. West Ham probably needed that when I came in and there are signs of that on the field and off the field. I hope we can continue to grow it."
Bowen’s commitment will have calmed fans who saw captain Declan Rice depart to Arsenal last summer for £105m after he entered the final year of his deal. Moyes says: “signing a player for much longer means you might not have to think about that for four or five years”, but longer contracts are not all about protecting clubs.
He added: “It’s also a sense of security for the players. They can break their leg tomorrow or have an injury that keeps them out.
“Jarrod has a lot of faith in the club and what we’re trying to do and go next. We’ve had a pretty good two or three years and Jarrod’s very much been part of that, helping us grow. He’s looking forward to it, as I am, to making it even better.”