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Taty Castellanos and Konstantinos Mavropanos each hit braces as West Ham United cruised past Wolves at the London Stadium, but all Robbie Earle wanted to talk about was Jarrod Bowen.
Bowen was back at his ‘brilliant best’ as the Hammers leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur and moved to within touching distance of Nottingham Forest.
Jarrod Bowen is one away from notching 20 goal contributions for the fifth successive campaign at West Ham United. On a night when Mavropanos claimed the Man of the Match award, when Castellanos entered the Premier League history books, there was only one name on the tip of Robbie Earle’s tongue.
Where does the skipper rank among our biggest Premier League LEGENDS?
Robbie Earle thinks Jarrod Bowen deserves more credit outside of West Ham United
Wimbledon legend Earle was speaking opposite Middlesbrough icon Robbie Mustoe on NBC Sport’s The Two Robbies Podcast.
Bowen felt the need to apologise to the Hammers fans only five days prior, following his penalty miss in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Leeds. Two assists in West Ham’s biggest Premier League home win since 2023 said more than any sprawling apology ever could.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
“Let me tell you who you should feel a little bit different about, and I’m going to go to my ‘under-appreciated performer of the week’. He plays for West Ham United and he’s the captain,” Earle began.
“He missed a penalty, obviously, in the FA Cup game that stopped them getting through to the semi-final, but he continues to take his responsibility. It’s Jarrod Bowen, my friend.
“I couldn’t love him any more. A star player.”
Earle thinks Bowen is unique in the Premier League
A self-critical Bowen spoke longingly about his ‘love’ for West Ham following that four-goal trouncing of rock-bottom Wolves. Now out of the relegation zone for the first time since drawing with Manchester United in December, Earle is backing Bowen to save the Hammers by sheer force of will.
“I couldn’t love him any more; a star player who gives it his all, who runs back, who tracks back, who works hard,” adds Earle, who scored 45 Premier League goals between 1992 and 2000. “You have a feeling he is looking to assist, looking to score, and is always looking for the best for his team.
Where will West Ham finish this season? 📈 And who will be relegated? ⬇️
Mind the gap, Tottenham Hotspur 😂
Credit: Getty Images/Rob Newell – CameraSport
He’s an England international, and whether he makes the squad or not, he may just miss out. But often good players in good teams… I’ve played in a couple of teams where you’ve had players whose talent is so much they feel like, ‘Well, I’ll do a bit of the work, but there’s others who can do my work’.
“Jarrod Bowen is the first with his sleeves rolled up. He’ll do his work, then he’ll score you a goal, then he’ll cross your ball, then he’ll play an assist. I couldn’t love that combination of player any more than what I see from Jarrod Bowen.
“One of the reasons why I don’t think West Ham will go down is because Jarrod Bowen won’t allow this football club to go down.
“I’ll tell you two things; I’d say every fan would have him in their team because he’s an incredible mix [of qualities]. And the other thing is, I think as a player, he would feel unfulfilled not doing the work. I think he wants to do the work and he wants to do the other stuff as well.
“I think that’s who he is and that’s what I like about him. He’s an absolute manager’s dream.”
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