Champagne may be in relatively short supply during West Ham United’s end of season awards, with a 17th place finish in the Premier League now only 270 minutes away from being confirmed.
Perhaps the most fitting reflection of The Hammers’ oh-so forgettable campaign is the shortlist for their Goal of the Season award.
Smart finishes from Danny Ings, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jarrod Bowen, but few that will live particularly long in the memory.
Emerson Palmieri’s fabulous free-kick is a clear stand-out. And even that came at the end of a first-half in which West Ham United conceded five times against a ruthless Arsenal; The very definition of the term ‘consolation’.
At least, when it comes to choosing the 2025 winner of the Hammer of the Year gong, there is more than one early frontrunner. Well, two, to be precise.
West Ham fans split over Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Via their official X page, West Ham begun their video shortlist with clips of Mohammed Kudus, Max Kilman and Alphonse Areola.
In truth, it is hard to imagine the trio picking up enough votes combined to challenge Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for the top award.
Mohammed Kudus has been ‘unplayable’ at times and anonymous at others. Kilman’s £40 million price-tag feels increasingly eye-watering in hindsight, the former Wolves captain gifting Tottenham Hotspur their opener in Sunday’s derby draw.
To quote analyst Jack Elderton, meanwhile, Alphonse Areola has become ‘a glaring weak spot’ between the sticks.
The two pedigree stallions of Bowen and Wan-Bissaka, then, look certain to have made this season’s Hammer of the Year battle very much a two-horse race.
As one disillusioned West Ham supporter highlights the inclusion of forgotten man Danny Ings on the Goal of the Season shortlist as a rather poetic assessment of a miserable campaign – that close-range strike against Fulham being nominated ‘says it all’ really – captain Bowen and all-action right-back Wan-Bissaka have at least done their level best to lift the gloom.
The social media responses appear to suggest that – in an award voted for by the fans – the gap between second and third place will be pretty cavernous.
“AWB all the way. What a player,” one supporter writes.
“AWB getting my vote,” another agrees. “Most consistent player all season.”
“‘NPC’s’ will choose Bowen. Real ones know AWB has given 100 per cent all season and rarely has a bad performance.
“In a woeful season, clearly a two-horse race between Bowen and AWB. But the latter gets my vote… just.”
“Bowen is Hammer of the Year and it’s not close. Genuinely don’t remember a single good save our keeper have made this year to vote on the category.”
“Bowen 1st, AWB 2nd, [Tomas] Soucek 3rd for me. No one else anywhere close!”
“So so so stuck between AWB and Jarrod.”
“Only a choice of two; Bowen or AWB.”
“This is a bit like the state of UK politics… There is nobody to vote for!”
Bowen full of praise for ‘brilliant’ Wan-Bissaka
As West Ham fought back from Wilson Odobert’s early goal on Sunday, the usual suspects combined again.
Much to Graham Potter’s delight – The Hammers boss is excited by the growing understanding between his two right-siders – the ‘brilliant’ Wan-Bissaka set up Jarrod Bowen’s ruthless finish.
In the Players’ Player of the Year selection, it does not take much reading between the lines to realise where Bowen’s vote is going.
“He’s been brilliant ever since he was walked through the door,” Bowen says of Wan-Bissaka. “He’s been in the Premier League for a few years now and shown his quality and done it week in week out here.
“Another assist for him. We knew that was a part of the game we could exploit. ‘Az’ bombing forward and them holding the line and trying to play offside, making those runs to get inside. And it worked perfectly to get the goal.
“But, yeah, ‘Az’ has been consistently good every single week. Every day in training. It’s a pleasure to play with him and have him in our ranks.”
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