West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen has taken a not so subtle dig at Declan Rice during an England press conference, after signing a new deal.
Jarrod Bowen committed his future to West Ham by putting pen to paper on a new contract that won’t expire until 2030 – an option that Declan Rice had before he left to join Arsenal.
News that the 26-year-old had signed a new deal with West Ham broke on Saturday night, and there has been a real buzz around the club ever since.
Bowen has been on fire for the Hammers this season, with five goals and two assists to his name so far (Transfermarkt), and David Moyes will be absolutely delighted with the attacker’s form.
He’s well on his way to becoming a legend in East London – something that Declan Rice will never be. The 24-year-old left us to join Arsenal in the summer. Nothing wrong with that, it’s up to him where he plays his football.
However, all of the kissing the badge malarky has now proven to be nothing more than what is actually was – utterly meaningless.
Bowen’s love for the club is definitely on another level in my opinion. He reportedly would have had the chance to join Liverpool or Newcastle either in January or next summer, but he decided to commit his future to West Ham instead…
Jarrod Bowen takes clear dig at Declan Rice during England press conference
The 26-year-old addressed the media yesterday after being called up to the England squad by Gareth Southgate.
And Bowen responded to reporters when asked about the thinking behind signing his new mega deal with the Hammers, as quoted by WHUFC.com:
“I would say I think I can do more. As a player, you’re always looking at the next goal or next big thing you can do. You don’t really have a minute to rest, sit back and think about what you’ve done. But I want to keep giving those moments to the fans. I want to keep giving those goals, those important moments. I’ve been here three-and-a-half years now and I think once I got this contract signed, to show that this is where I want to be and where I want to play my football, I think people will respect that even more. Hopefully I can go down as a legend in years to come. That’s something I’ve definitely thought about, because I’ve seen the treatment the older professionals get here and how loved and welcome they are, even when they’ve finished playing. I feel that love and I want to be part of that for years to come.”
The part when Bowen says, ‘once I got this contract signed, to show that this is where I want to be and where I want to play my football, I think people will respect that even more. Hopefully I can go down as a legend in years to come’, is a clear and direct dig at Rice as far as I’m concerned.
Whether it was intentional or not is debatable, and knowing Bowen it probably wasn’t, but the sentiment of his words is there in black and white.
Jarrod Bowen told the world how West Ham is his club during the England press conference yesterday – the complete opposite of what Rice did 10 months ago.
Well done Jarrod, you’re a legend in my eyes already.
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