Jarrod Bowen is looking forward to his final visit to Goodison Park as a player, and being reunited with a manager who he believes shaped him into the West Ham United captain and England international he is today, David Moyes.
Bowen was signed by Moyes from EFL Championship club Hull City in January 2020 and, in the five years since, has established himself in the Premier League, scored over 50 Premier League goals, scored for England and scored West Ham’s winner in the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final.
The skipper - who was named in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for March's internationals on Friday morning - enjoyed working under Moyes, who departed London Stadium in summer 2024 after four-and-a-half successful seasons before returning, as he did at West Ham, for a second spell in charge at Everton in January 2025.
Two days before the Scotsman’s re-appointment as Blues boss, Graham Potter was appointed as the Hammers’ Head Coach, and Bowen told Sky Sports he is also enjoying working under the former Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea manager as Potter instils his own ideas and style in east London.
As he prepares to lead Potter’s side out at Goodison, the No20 is relishing the atmosphere at the famous old stadium and hoping to silence the passionate Everton fans on Saturday afternoon…
Jarrod, how are you enjoying working under Graham Potter two months on from his appointment as Head Coach?
“When I heard the news that the manager was coming in, it was an exciting time because you know what he's achieved in the game in such little time. At Brighton especially, he created a really good squad there. His teams were always difficult to play against and his attacking players were always thriving.
“Once we found out, it was disappointing at the time for me personally because I was injured so I thought, ‘Well I'm no good for you for the month or so that I was out’. Seeing the first few games take shape and take place, I was on the sideline watching but I could really see a bit of a difference in the way we were playing.
“I think the fans had a different energy about them as well. I think as a player you always feed off that energy and we managed to pick up some really good results in that time. I think he's been here about two months now and I think in football you wish you could just flick a switch and everything would go to how you want it.
“It takes time with managers taking in new players and a new group and we have to work every single day to understand what he wants as a manager. We have to just keep working and when we play our games it's about looking at what we do well and what we don't do so well and always looking to improve.
“I think we've got a really good group that want to do well, that want to achieve things and I think the manager understands that and sees that we have a group that really want to work hard for him and I think, for a manager, that's the best thing that he can have. It's everyone fighting, not just the players that are playing, but the whole collective squad and everyone every single day is working really hard.”
You’ve got an Everton team managed by David Moyes in the final few weeks at Goodison Park next, so how do you assess Saturday’s fixture?
“I think the change that Everton have made has seen them pick up some really good results. The Tottenham game at home they won, Brighton away from home they won as well and against Liverpool they scored late in that game [to draw 2-2] and again they looked really good.
“They're going to be a handful and we know what their manager wants to do, his philosophy is the way he wants to play. They're going to be really hard to play against up at Goodison as well.
“It's always difficult. They've got a real good set of supporters with their support and how difficult they make it when you go there and play away from home, so we know that we're going to have to be right on it and not a percent less, because we'll get punished by them. They're in a real good moment at the minute. We have to go there with full confidence, with respect for them and respect for what we do as well.”
How important has David Moyes been in shaping your career?
“Probably the majority, especially my important years in my career, [he has shaped it]. He brought me in five years ago from the Championship and we enjoyed so many good times for those five years that we worked together - the different European adventures that we went on, the Premier League seasons, the European trophy winning it as well. We worked every single day and he's helped me to get to where I am now.
“I loved working with him, really enjoyed my time with him. Massive respect for what he's done and what he achieved here with us.
“I think in a few years to come he'll get the credit that I think he fully deserves. As a Club he really changed the dynamic and brought European football for three years on the bounce and a European trophy. I think for me he's a really good manager but an even better person as well.”
