Jarrod Bowen dreams of captaining West Ham United to FA Cup glory and, while Premier League survival is the priority, Nuno Espirito Santo is not going to throw in the towel in Monday’s fifth round clash with Brentford.
Inspired by the against-the-odds success of London neighbours Crystal Palace in 2025, Bowen does not hide that he ‘would love to win the FA Cup’ before his time is done in claret and blue.
For many at West Ham United, however, that looming Brentford clash likely sits at the back of the mind. Despite winning at Fulham on Wednesday, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are still mired in the Premier League’s relegation zone.
What would you sacrifice for FA Cup GLORY?
Surely not your Premier League status…
But, speaking at his pre-match press conference, Nuno insists that he has no plans to simply sacrifice the cup in order to put full focus on their top-flight survival battle.
Nuno Espirito Santo says West Ham United will take FA Cup seriously
“The cup is always a good competition for us. We love the cup,” says Nuno, who remembers watching the final of football’s oldest club competition in the 1980s in his native Portugal.
“Let’s focus on the cup; it’s really, really important. It’s at our home [the London Stadium], against a tough opponent, in a competition that we want to try and go through [to the quarter-finals].
“We love the competition. What we have to focus on is Monday night against Brentford. Let’s prepare so we don’t get beat.
“My first recollection [of the FA Cup] was in the ’80s! That was the only game broadcast in Portugal; the final at Wembley.”
Bowen is not the only West Ham player hoping to get his hands on silverware. Tomas Soucek has his sights firmly fixed on cup glory too, telling the club’s official website back in November that the Hammers should ‘put everything into the FA Cup’.
The desire to avoid any season-derailing injuries does complicate matters, though. Nuno may rest the likes of Bowen, Soucek and Crysencio Summerville, in the knowledge that losing a key player or two could be fatal to their hopes of replicating the ‘Great Escape’ of 2006/07.
Who do YOU want to see start v Brentford in the FA Cup? 🏆
Nuno is expected to ring the changes…
Nuno not concerned with Jarrod Bowen form as Crysencio Summerville scores again
After recent criticism from some concerned supporters, Bowen assisted Summerville’s Craven Cottage winner.
While the skipper is on a four-game league drought, Nuno does have the luxury of being able to call upon a far more free-scoring winger in the prolific Dutchman. Taty Castellanos has three goals in ten games himself since arriving from January, while Pablo Felipe is making progress in his recovery from a calf injury.
“This is the best thing that can happen for us; a lot of options, and as many players in confidence as possible,” Nuno says. “Forward players have ups and downs. They have momentum; moments when they are full of confidence and moments when they are not.
“Having as many options as we can is important for us. I never consider us a ‘one-man team.’ Never!
“When we have a corner [for example], I am positive we are going to score a goal and it’s going to be [from] our centre-halves. We are expecting goals from all over.
“The expectation of scoring a goal, it’s really positive for us. These goals come from midfielders, from full-backs, from centre-halves… I don’t really care as long as it happens!”
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