Jarrod Bowen has been shortlisted for the EA Sports Premier League Player of the Season award!
Our outstanding forward has enjoyed a superb 2021/22 campaign, scoring ten goals and registering ten assists to become just the second West Ham United player to achieve that feat in the competition’s 30-year history.
Only Paolo Di Canio, in 1999/00, previously reached double figures in goals and assists in the same season, while only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who is also nominated for the award, has passed ten goals and assists this term.
Alongside Salah, Bowen also faces competition from Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manchester City duo João Cancelo and Kevin De Bruyne, Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min and Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
The EA Sports Premier League Player of the Season will be announced on Sunday 21 May at 11am BST.
Bowen has already enjoyed an award-winning season, having been voted Players’ Player of the Year by his West Ham teammates.
“This group is so good and obviously to be recognised by them is special for me,” he told Guvna B at Monday’s Betway Player Awards ceremony. “Like I’ve said all year, the group we’ve got is a top, top group, so to be recognised by them, I’d like to say ‘Thank you’ to them for voting for me.”
For Bowen, being in the mix for such high-profile awards is a long way from his formative years, when he had unsuccessful trials at a number of clubs before making his breakthrough, first at Hereford United and then Hull City.
“From when I was younger and nearly packing football in and being told ‘No’ about certain things and things not going the way I wanted, I think it’s shaped me to where I am now and whatever happens, I’m just going to put my all into it and see where it gets me,” he confirmed.
“I think that’s my playing style as well – everything is on the pitch. I think you can see that and I think the fans like hard work, and that’s come from earlier setbacks in my career where people have told me ‘No’ and I’ve just disagreed with them, so to speak.”
One group of people who will never say ‘No’ to Bowen is the Claret and Blue Army, who have given the forward his own song to the tune of Gala’s 1997 hit ‘Freed from Desire’ with playful lyrics focusing on his relationship with TV personality and West Ham fan Dani Dyer.
Does he like it, though?
“Of course! When I first heard it, I thought ‘This is different. I’ve never heard anyone with a song like this before!’,” he laughed. “It’s funny, because I can’t listen to the song ‘Freed from Desire’ on the radio now, all I can think about is my song!
“It comes up in the changing room too and people are on me, but it’s a funny song and you’ve got to laugh at it!”
Having been lauded by his clubmates and supporters and nominated for a prestigious Premier League award, Bowen has also been widely tipped for a senior England call-up for the summer UEFA Nations League ties with Hungary, Germany and Italy, and a place in Gareth Southgate’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad.
“It’s a long way to go!” he smiled. “There are a few internationals before the World Cup and of course it’s everybody’s dream to play for their country in a big tournament, but I haven’t had a single callup yet, so the thing for me is to try and work hard to get that first callup.
“If I get it, I’ll be there, on it, doing everything I can, but if I don’t, I don’t, and I’ve got to work harder and show what I’m about even more. We’ll see what happens…”
