Jarrod Bowen takes clear dig at Declan Rice with contract comments during England press conference
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.
Declan Rice had the chance to leave West Ham and join Arsenal, but Jarrod Bowen chose to remain with the club by signing a new contract that won’t expire until 2030.
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 surpassing Declan Rice as a legendary figure in East London. The 24-year-old departed our team in the summer to join Arsenal. There is nothing wrong with that; it is up to him to decide where he plays football.
However, all of the “kissing the badge” nonsense has now been exposed for what it truly was: meaningless absolute nonsense.
In my perspective, Bowen’s devotion to the club is on a whole other level.He apparently had the option to sign with Liverpool or Newcastle either in January or next summer, but he chose to make West Ham the center of his future plans.
Jarrod Bowen takes clear dig at Declan Rice during England press conference
After Gareth Southgate selected the 26-year-old for the England team, the player spoke to the media yesterday.
And as reported by WHUFC.com, Bowen gave the following response to media when asked why he decided to sign his new big contract with the Hammers:
“I’d say I believe I am capable of more. A player is constantly thinking about the next objective or major thing they can do. You don’t really have a moment to relax, take a seat, and consider what you’ve accomplished.But I want to keep offering the fans those opportunities. I wish to keep expressing those objectives and crucial times. Over the past three and a half years,
for many years, and I believe that once I sign this deal to demonstrate that this is where I want to remain and play football, people will respect it even more. I hope to be remembered as a legend in the future. Because of how the older professionals are treated here and how cherished and welcomed they are, even after they have quit playing, I have given that some serious thought. I can sense that love, and I want to continue to participate in it.
When Bowen says, “I think people will respect that even more once I got this contract signed to show that this is where I want to be and where I want to play my football,”In my opinion, saying “Hopefully I can go down as a legend in years to come” is an obvious and direct jab at Rice.
Whether it was deliberate or not is questionable, and given Bowen’s character, it probably wasn’t, but the meaning of his comments is clear as day.
Jarrod Bowen did the exact reverse of what Rice did ten months ago when he spoke about West Ham during yesterday’s England press conference.
Well done, Jarrod; you already have my respect.
