There was seemingly a very positive development during West Ham United’s kit launch on Tuesday. And it had nothing to do with the price of their new home shirt.
Of course it didn’t.
At the risk of coming over all ‘old man shouts at cloud’, your correspondent fondly remembers the time when football kits were £40 and you could get three packets of Panini stickers for a quid. Those days are long gone, of course.
Give us your immediate thoughts on the NEW West Ham kit! 👕
It's certainly bold…
And when West Ham United’s relegation out of the Premier League was confirmed in May, no doubt many were resigning themselves to viewing Jarrod Bowen’s claret and blue career through a similarly sepia-tinged, ‘days of yonder’ perspective.
But there he was; Jarrod Bowen modelling the new West Ham kit.
OK, in one of the photos he may look like a toddler who’s been told the ice cream van has run out of sprinkles, but surely he wouldn’t be here if he had no intention of wearing said kit in 2026/27?
Jarrod Bowen models West Ham United’s new 2026/27 home shirt
Well, things are probably a bit more complicated than that. Hammers News have been told that West Ham are increasingly confident of retaining Bowen. The respective stances of both player and club will really be tested, though, when and if offers arrive.
Patrick Vieira modelled Arsenal’s maroonish centenary kit in the same summer he left for Juventus. Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Luis Suarez posed for photoshoots in shirts they would never wear in a competitive setting.
Alongside Bowen, Taty Castellanos and Tomas Soucek were also part of the official unveiling. Not everyone is getting carried away just yet though.
“Hope [they stay], but the kit launch doesn’t mean anything, unfortunately,” one fan writes with a dose of realism on Hammers News’ official Facebook page. “A lot of players commit launches for lots of clubs and end up somewhere else.
“It would have been worse if they weren’t even in the launch though!”
As another points out – with a more positive outlook – Declan Rice was not part of the kit launch in 2023. He would leave for Arsenal soon after. How much can be gleaned from the fact Bowen is here?
Perhaps West Ham simply didn’t want to spark unnecessary speculation at a time when offers for Bowen, Castellanos and co are yet to arrive. The Hammers bid farewell to Mateus Fernandes on the same day after all; one star man down.
On the other hand, maybe this was something of a ‘soft launch’. Not just for the kit, but for the spine of their 2026/27 squad.
“I’d say so,” one fan writes when asked if Bowen’s presence means he will be sticking around. “When we sold Rice, he was the captain and the best player, and was kept out of all new kit photos. I knew then he was off.
“This is a positive sign.”
“The fact big Tam [Soucek] and Bowen are in these new pics make me very happy,” another says.
“Well let’s hope they do [stay]. Bowen would be the best player in the league and Taty could score 20 in the Championship.”
“If Taty stays, he will rip it up in the Championship.”
“Where’s the ‘fingers crossed’ button when you need it…”
West Ham have announced that they will consult fans on what their club crest will be going forward. What would you like it to look like? ⚒️
Is the first step towards repairing a broken relationship with the supporters? 🤔
Tomas Soucek is staying but rumours surround Taty Castellanos
We can at least confirm that Soucek will be a West Ham player when the new season starts. The experienced midfielder revealed as much this week when reflecting on the ankle ligament injury which could force Soucek to miss the opening eight Championship matches if the issue is at the worst end of the scale.
Castellanos was linked with Everton and Fulham – two clubs who could be coached by two ex-Hammers next term in David Moyes and Alvaro Arbeloa – but speculation remains exactly that at this stage. Speculation.
Also included in the kit launch were Kyle Walker-Peters and Soungoutou Magassa. Mads Hermansen was present too; the ex-Leicester goalkeeper committed his future to the Hammers almost immediately after relegation.
As for the kit itself, well, opinions are mixed. The collar is too rounded, the badge isn’t right, the blue is too vivid, and the dark patches on the front look like the aforementioned Vieira has smeared it with his famous VapoRub.
Apart from that, it’s alright.
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