Another international break bites the dust – and this time, the wretched thing won’t return until March. For West Ham United, however, it perhaps came at the right time, for Julen Lopetegui needs to manufacture a sharp upswing in form.
West Ham avoided defeat before many players jetted off for their sojourns, though the recent goalless draw against Everton in the Premier League was not an exciting thing, and did little to sate the fanbase’s hunger for improvement.
A cynic would say that it’s kitchen sink time for Lopetegui, and even the most optimistic of Hammers supporters must be forced to accept that things need to improve – and fast.
West Ham’s Remaining PL Fixtures 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
Date | Opponent | Venue |
25/11/24 | Newcastle | St. James’ Park |
30/11/24 | Arsenal | London Stadium |
03/12/24 | Leicester | King Power Stadium |
09/12/24 | Wolves | London Stadium |
16/12/24 | Bournemouth | Vitality Stadium |
21/12/24 | Brighton | London Stadium |
26/12/24 | Southampton | St. Mary’s Stadium |
29/12/24 | Liverpool | London Stadium |
There’s a good chance to escape from the sliding rut that has dampened a mood that, only this summer, crackled with nervous excitement after David Moyes departed and £120m was spent on new parts.
A lack of identity and bereftness of confidence have instead ruled with an iron grip. Something needs to change, and Jarrod Bowen will be sure to be at the centre of any hopeful revival.
Jarrod Bowen shows his quality for England
Bowen would be one of the first to admit that he hasn’t been at his best this season, but then it’s hard to operate with full form and fluency when the system whose tactics you adopt fails to roar into life.
Club insiders have refuted claims that CEO David Sullivan and bruised technical director Tim Steidten had been set for crunch talks regarding Lopetegui’s future, but the very fact that such news bobbed up, months into his tenure, makes a telling comment on the conundrum in east London.
Unfortunately, Bowen probably delighted in performing within Lee Carsley’s Three Lions set-up, scoring his first international goal off the bench during the 5-0 rout over the Republic of Ireland.
Let’s look at it from another angle, eh: Bowen’s confidence will have been raised after such an emphatic moment in his career, and he could be ready to tackle the biting winter period, armband girdled on, with fresh life.
West Ham will need his attacking authority; after all, the flow of goals has been more accurately described as a trickle this season, but the dynamic forward tops the charts even so.
West Ham: Top Scorers (all comps) 24/25 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Apps | Goals |
1. | Jarrod Bowen | 13 | 4 |
2. | Mohammed Kudus | 10 | 2 |
2= | Tomas Soucek | 12 | 2 |
2= | Lucas Paqueta | 13 | 2 |
5. | Danny Ings | 6 | 1 |
5= | Michail Antonio | 12 | 1 |
5= | Crysencio Summerville | 12 | 1 |
Stats via Transfermarkt | |||
The lack of goals doesn’t make for great viewing. Bowen and his frontal peers haven’t been at their best, to be sure, but there’s a stark absence of creativity that makes it hard to flourish. The Premier League record that the Hammers have created 17 big chances this season, placing them joint-16th in the division.
More attacking dimensions are required, and getting rid of the likes of Said Benrahma and James Ward-Prowse this summer must rankle a few.
West Ham actually cast out another player since Moyes’ exit who’s actually outperforming most of the current squad in offence, though Thilo Kehrer is probably not the name that you’d expect.
Thilo Kehrer’s season in numbers
When Kehrer first alighted in east London, the furore suggested that a great deal had been struck, with The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas even praising his: “speed and eagerness to occupy advanced positions should add an extra dimension.” The defender’s versatility also posited that he could dynamise Moyes’ backline.
Signed from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2022 – for a shrewd £10m – the Germany international had enjoyed success but wanted a more prominent role than he had been afforded in the French capital.
However, his time in the Premier League quickly proved to temper expectations to ground closer to that of the £10m figure, with Kehrer starting the first 14 top-flight fixtures of the season but just 11 thereafter.
He left England just a year and a half after joining West Ham, signing on loan with AS Monaco before the deal became permanent in the summer of 2024. The half-campaign he spent under Moyes’ wing in 2023/24, the German managed only four substitute appearances in the league.
Journalist Stefan Bienkowski had even criticised the 28-year-old for one “horrendous” performance with Germany, with his confidence clearly knocked for six after early struggles with West Ham. Indeed, previously he had been a near-infallible mainstay for his nation under the tutelage of Hansi Flick.
At least he’s enjoying his football again back in France, though it’s somewhat frustrating to see that he’s having some success from an attacking standpoint, posting three goals from 13 matches across all competitions for Monaco this season.
Operating as a centre-back, this is quite the feat, especially when considering that the 6 foot 1 titan has completed 90% of his passes and emerged triumphant in 68% of his duels in Ligue 1 too, as per Sofascore.
Though he didn’t quite make his mark under Moyes’ leadership, Kehrer is clearly a great defender who suffered due to circumstances. West Ham aren’t exactly flourishing right now, but Lopetegui wants more control and perhaps he could have aided the squad in that regard.
The fact that he’s also outscoring every West Ham star bar Bowen also speaks volumes to the struggles of the London club.
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