They arrived at West Ham together in the January window of 2020 but now there are fears Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek could leave at the same time too following relegation.
Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek have been West Ham’s best and most consistent players since they arrived at the club six-and-a-half years ago.
No two players have done more for the team in that period than Bowen and Soucek.
Two of the Hammers’ big leaders, they were pivotal in the success the club enjoyed, particularly under David Moyes.
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On that famous night in Prague, it was super Tom Soucek who won the ball in midfield that allowed Lucas Paqueta to set Bowen clear to score a last minute winner and end West Ham’s 43-year wait for a major trophy.
Both Soucek and Bowen have had their difficult spells.
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Unfortunately for West Ham, Bowen’s came in the second half of this season when their Premier League lives were on the line.
The simple fact of the matter is the club’s owners and managers did not build a strong enough team around the likes of the captain and Soucek and paid the ultimate price when the Irons were relegated to the Championship.
As West Ham have seen before, bouncing straight back is not as straightforward as many make out.
The Hammers have had to rely on the play-offs in each of their last three Championship campaigns, losing one final and winning two.
The expectation will be that West Ham achieve automatic promotion to take away the play-off risk factor.
But to do that, they will need quality players who separate them from their Championship rivals.
With West Ham desperate to raise funds to plug big financial holes, players will need to be sold.
Bowen and Soucek have “indicated they want to stay at West Ham”
That inevitably means the likes of Bowen and Soucek – along with Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Taty Castellanos and Konstantinos Mavropanos – are being linked with moves away.
But what Bowen and Soucek have told West Ham changes everything.
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After intimating he wanted to stay and help the club back up in interviews immediately after relegation was confirmed, Bowen appeared to change his tune on his West Ham future in a new statement released on social media this week.
Meanwhile, Soucek also took to social media to apologise to fans and seemed to pledge he is ready to stay and fight to get the Hammers back where they belong.
Fans fear their future could be taken out of their hands even if they wanted to stay given West Ham’s financial situation.
In a Hammers News exclusive this week, West Ham said they hoped Nuno Espirito Santo and Bowen will stay.
It is a case of one down, one to go in that regard.
But it seems there is more much-needed good news from behind the scenes for the east Londoners.
Because according to a source on long-standing West Ham site KUMB, Bowen and Soucek have both indicated they would be willing to remain with the club in the Championship.
Soucek has already made that clear on social media so it is no great surprise.
But the uncertainty over Bowen means that is potentially huge news for West Ham’s hopes of a swift return to the Premier League.
Keeping Bowen and Soucek would almost be a guarantee of promotion.
A fit Bowen would realistically score 30 goals plus in the second tier and Soucek would easily get double figures too given he manages that most Premier League seasons.
With the manager’s situation clarified nice and early, West Ham could go a long way to setting their stall out for next term by keeping Soucek and Bowen on board too.
Both players are already legends at the club but staying in the second tier to help West Ham back up would seal that status beyond any doubt.
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