West Ham United coach Kevin Nolan was “surprised” that winger Jarrod Bowen was given a contract until 2030.
As per the official West Ham website (8 October), the attacker has committed his future to the club for another seven years.
The 26-year-old joined the Hammers from Hull City in January 2020, and boasts 167 appearances in claret and blue.
“I’m obviously delighted,” Nolan said live on talkSPORT. “It’s been in the background for a while now, he’s been negotiating for the last year or so. These things take time, it’s always the way, getting it right because players want what they want.
“But I think with his club form this year it’s only merited what we’ve given him and what he wanted, and I’m just glad that everything is sorted now. I’m sure this will kick him on. I was surprised to see 2030, I must admit. But he’s a young lad, he’s coming into what we believe are his peak years. These lads go until mid-thirties now where you are still getting the best of them.
“He’s only 26, that takes him until 33/34, so we’re hopefully going to see the best of Bowen and we feel like there is more to come. I believe that he’s such a fantastic and talented player, and the biggest thing is that he has a great attitude and wants to learn all the time.”
Bowen had recently been linked with an exit from the London Stadium, with a handful of Premier League clubs seemingly interested in his services. And that is no surprise, with the winger one of the standout players in the English top-flight in recent seasons.
He has made a superb start to the new season, with Bowen registering totals of five goals and two assists from his nine appearances in all competitions.
The attacker is a key player for David Moyes, constantly getting at defenders and giving them a very tough time with his superb dribbling ability.
And Bowen’s displays at club level have not gone unnoticed, with England manager Gareth Southgate handing the winger a recall to the national setup for the current international break.
He may just get a start for the Three Lions this month, with fellow winger and Arsenal star Bukayo Saka pulling out of the squad due to injury.
In other West Ham news, a talkSPORT journalist has made a “very unusual” claim after Bowen signed a new long-term deal at the club.
