While West Ham’s academy heroes celebrated cup glory, just one star player took the time to praise them publicly but it wasn’t club captain Jarrod Bowen.
Jarrod Bowen is head and shoulders West Ham’s best and most important player.
Bowen – provided David Sullivan doesn’t do the unthinkable and actually sell him to Spurs or Newcastle this summer – is on course to be the club’s leading Premier League goalscorer of all-time.
Nobody can question Bowen’s love for the Hammers, where he is undoubtedly already a legend.
But his role as captain has been questioned and legitimately so.
Brilliant Bowen’s captaincy skills divide opinion at West Ham
There were raised eyebrows when Julen Lopetegui made Bowen captain.
Simply because Hammers fans have never seen him as captain material.
Yes he leads by example with his workrate and quality.
But doubts over whether he can rally a changing room and hold teammates to account have not been allayed in this dismal season where West Ham sit 17th in the Premier League with five games left.
In a normal, competitive campaign the Hammers would still require two wins to survive.
After Niclas Fullkrug’s angry outburst following the draw with already relegated cannon fodder Southampton, many West Ham fans declared he was doing Bowen’s job.
In fact a fair share of Hammers supporters called for Fullkrug to be made captain, so relieved they were to finally hear someone at the club tell it like it is.
This is not a Bowen bashing by any stretch. He is the club’s talisman.
But there are certain responsibilities you have as a captain which are important – even if it is just for keeping up appearances.
And one top West Ham star praised the club’s youngsters for their cup win but it wasn’t captain Bowen.
Amid a constant stream of negative news around the club this week, it has been missed that West Ham’s Under 18s won the Premier League Cup.
One top West Ham star praised youngsters for cup win
Exciting young striker Josh Ajala scored a brace in a 2-1 win over Reading, taking his tally to 20 goals for the club’s development and Under 18s sides this season.
Mark Noble and Declan Rice set great examples for the way they interacted and highlighted the players following them from West Ham’s famed Academy.
Kurt Zouma, as likeable a character as he might have been, dropped the ball with many things when he took the armband, such as communicating with fans for a start.
But it was left to one player who West Ham fans are constantly hearing is desperate to get out of the club this summer to do the job of the captain by publicly congratulating the Under 18s.
The cup win is arguably the highlight of the entire season for the Hammers.
Paqueta and Soler put Hammers teammates to shame
But only Lucas Paqueta of West Ham’s top stars has thus far has taken to social media to praise the Academy stars.
Another has also congratulated the youngsters – on loan PSG midfielder Carlos Soler, who has really embraced being a Hammer much like his good friend Pablo Fornals.
Taking to his Instagram Stories, Paqueta – who has that spot-fixing case hanging over his head like a dark cloud – posted a video of the Under 18s celebrating with the trophy alongside clapping, heart, Hammers and trophy emojis.
Soler posted the same video on his Instagram Stories saying: “Well done champs” alongside Hammers and trophy emojis.
Now listen Bowen may well have even been at the game and may have congratulated the youngsters personally, as he should being club captain.
West Ham stars should be lauding Academy success
But when you’re in that position, you’ve got to be seen to be ticking the boxes by taking to social media and praising them on there too for supporters to see.
A player who is on loan and knows he’s not going to be retained and a player who has been linked with a move away can’t be the only ones publicly praising the club’s Academy team on winning a trophy. It just doesn’t look or sit right.
Especially when there’s so much negativity around the club – it all just helps give fans some semblance of pride in their club. Particularly as the Academy means so much to West Ham and the supporters.
So the next time you read that Paqueta doesn’t want to be at West Ham and – as one report stated this week – is in a “living hell in east London” – remember this and the times he has congratulated youngsters such as George Earthy, Lewis Orford and Ollie Scarles publicly too.
West Ham did something great this week and every single player in that first team should be embracing it and shouting it from the rooftops.
Because goodness knows they have given supporters nothing to shout about over the last 18 months.
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