In Jarrod Bowen, West Ham finally have a 20-goals-a-season ...

It had been 19 years since a West Ham United player last scored 20 goals or more in a season, but the wait is now over thanks to Jarrod Bowen.

The England international became the first man to reach the milestone for the east London club in all competitions since Teddy Sheringham and Marlon Harewood both did it in 2004-05. Bowen’s goal in the 2-2 home draw against Liverpool on Saturday saw him equal Paolo Di Canio’s record (16) for the most by a West Ham player in a single Premier League goals season.

The 27-year-old also provided the assist for Michail Antonio’s late equaliser, which brings his tally for those to 10 for the season, and Bowen’s development since the campaign began in August has reached an elite level. Besides it being his best goalscoring season since joining from Hull City of the second-tier Championship in January 2020, he has significantly improved in the air.

In 2022-23, he failed to score with a single header, but yesterday he registered his fifth goal this season by that route. Of the other 15 goals, 11 have been with his left foot and four with his right.

It gave David Moyes reasons to smile after a difficult week in which his future as the club’s manager has dominated the West Ham agenda.

Moyes did not answer any questions about Sporting Lisbon counterpart Ruben Amorim apologising to the Portuguese club and their supporters for holding talks with West Ham’s board last Monday. Instead, he spoke about his team bouncing back from last weekend’s grim 5-2 Premier League defeat against Crystal Palace and praised Bowen’s performance.

“Jarrod has been hugely important for us this year,” said Moyes. “There’s not many West Ham forwards who have scored 20 goals or more in a season. I was hoping he would have 20 in the Premier League, but now he’s on 16 and I’m pushing him to get four more goals in the last three games. It would be a great achievement for him.

“His journey has taken him from (non-League boyhood club) Hereford, Hull City, West Ham and now he’s an England international. Hopefully, he gets the chance to show (his quality for England) in the months to come (at this summer’s European Championship).”

Bowen, who made his debut for the national team in 2022, earned an England recall in October for fixtures against Australia and Italy. Since then, he has featured in three of England’s last six games. For goals and assists in the Premier League this season, he ranks fifth among England-qualified players.

Before Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros is named, he has the chance to surpass Di Canio’s club record for Premier League goals in a season. Tony Cottee, another former West Ham forward, believes he will. Similar to Bowen, Cottee scored 20 goals or more in a season for West Ham, in the First Division (as the top flight was then known) in 1984-85, 1985-86 and 1986-87.

“I used to watch a lot of Hull City games, and Jarrod always stood out,” says Cottee. “I expected him to come to West Ham and do well, but he has exceeded everyone’s expectations.

“You never know when a player comes from the Championship, but now clubs are looking to find the next Jarrod Bowen. He is quick, but what he does well is dribble at defenders, which is an art in itself. He’s a dynamic player who’s always looking to get in behind. He makes opposition defenders panic.

“Me scoring 22 goals in the top flight is the most I ever managed in a season. It’s weird no West Ham player has come close to scoring that number of goals in the Premier League. When Jarrod scored his hat-trick against Brentford (in late February), he went from 11 to 14 and I thought, ‘He’s getting close. I could be in trouble this year’. He’ll certainly beat Di Canio’s record. I don’t have a direct number to Jarrod, but I have (West Ham-supporting English actor) Danny Dyer’s number, his father-in-law, and I’m sure I can pass on a ‘Well done’ message when he does.”

Former England, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United forward Sheringham scored 30 goals across 87 appearances during his spell at West Ham from 2004 to 2007 at the end of his illustrious career.

He highlights Bowen’s transition into becoming a big-game player, with goals against Spurs, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool this season and Sheringham believes he should get the nod from Southgate this summer. He knew it was only a matter of time before Bowen would join the elite company of him, Harewood and Cottee.

“There is no better person to break Di Canio’s record than Jarrod if he goes on to score a couple more,” says Sheringham. “I’m surprised it’s taken so long for a West Ham player to score 20 goals in a season, especially with the number of forwards that have come and gone. Jarrod is doing it in the Premier League and I did it in the Championship.

“I was so proud to see him play well for England in March. It’s friendlies, and sometimes players don’t give it their all, but Jarrod was trying his hardest to impress Southgate. It was a breath of fresh air seeing him play like that and taking players on.

“The main thing is he’s a consistent goalscorer, easily a 20-goals-a-season player now and a big-game player. I like him when he plays alongside (Lucas) Paqueta. He makes time for himself and everyone else on the ball. Jarrod must love playing alongside him and that’s another reason Jarrod is excelling. Paqueta helps find that killer pass.”

The past 12 months have seen Bowen become the face of the club. From scoring the winner in the Europa Conference League final to signing a seven-year contract extension and now having his best goalscoring season.

Di Canio’s record is the latest target in his sight.

West Ham’s remaining fixtures: Chelsea (a) May 5; Luton Town (h) May 11; Manchester City (a) May 19.

(Top photo: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)