Introduction
Jarrod Bowen (born 20 December 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger, midfielder and forward for Premier League club West Ham United. He has previously played for Hereford United and Hull City.
Early life
Bowen was born in Leominster, Herefordshire.
Club career
Hereford United
After unsuccessful trials at Aston Villa and Cardiff City, Bowen started his career as a scholar at Hereford United. At the age of 16, Bowen broke into the Hereford United first team after impressing for the youth team that season. He scored his first career goal on 21 April 2014 in Hereford's 3–2 home victory over Alfreton Town.
Hull City
After Hereford were expelled from the Football Conference in June 2014, Bowen signed for Premier League club Hull City in July. After impressing during pre-season in 2016, he made his first-team debut for Hull on 23 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 EFL Cup victory over Exeter City. On 7 November 2016, Bowen signed a new two-year contract with Hull.
Bowen scored his first goal for Hull on 5 August 2017, away to Aston Villa in a 1–1 draw. In September 2017, Bowen signed a new contract that tied him to the club until June 2020. He scored 15 goals in all competitions during the 2017–18 season, which saw him finish as Hull's top scorer. At the annual end of season awards ceremony on 8 May 2018, Bowen won both the Hull City Supporter's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards.
Bowen was nominated for the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for December 2018, subsequently winning the award in January 2019. In March 2019, he was selected as part of the 2018–19 Championship Team of the Season. He scored 22 goals in all competitions during the 2018–19 season, which saw him finish as Hull's top scorer again. At the annual end of season awards ceremony on 7 May 2019, Bowen won the Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year and Hull City Supporter's Player of the Year awards.
West Ham United
On 31 January 2020, Bowen joined West Ham United on a permanent transfer, with the Premier League club paying an initial £18 million for the forward, with up to £7 million in potential add-ons. On 29 February 2020 in his first start for West Ham, Bowen scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–1 win against Southampton.
Style of play
Bowen has been compared to former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich legend Arjen Robben through his footballing talent, with sports journalist Daniel Emery stating, "He is a budget Arjen Robben in the way that he plays. Championship defenders know exactly what he is going to do, but they simply cannot stop it. He gets the ball on the channel on the right and looks to cut inside onto his left foot and find the far corner. Despite it being his trademark move, defenders still struggle to prevent him from getting his shot off. Would Premier League defenders stifle him? It remains to be seen."
Career statistics
- As of 22 July 2020
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hereford United | 2013–14 | Conference Premier | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
| Hull City | 2014–15 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Championship | 42 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 44 | 15 | ||
| 2018–19 | Championship | 46 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 46 | 22 | ||
| 2019–20 | Championship | 29 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 32 | 17 | ||
| Total | 124 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 131 | 54 | ||
| West Ham United | 2019–20 | Premier League | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 142 | 54 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 56 | ||
Honours
Individual
- Hull City Supporters' Player of the Year: 2017–18
- Hull City Players' Player of the Year: 2017–18
- EFL Championship Player of the Month: December 2018, November 2019