Bowen for Antonio looks the future
Slaven Bilic’s decision to sign Michail Antonio from Nottingham Forest on deadline day in 2015 may not have sparked overwhelming enthusiasm. Little did we anticipate however that Antonio would evolve into West Ham‘s all-time leading Premier League goal scorer having arrived as a winger and at times right back. Now Bowen for Antonio looks the future.
Under the guidance of David Moyes, Antonio seamlessly transitioned into a striker, becoming a vital piece in the Scotsman’s counter-attacking approach. Over the past three seasons, despite previous fitness concerns, he has remained a stalwart presence.
Approaching the twilight of his footballing career, Antonio’s tenure as the starting number 9 is drawing to a close, prompting speculation about his successor. Some have their doubts but in my view, the answer certainly lies in Jarrod Bowen at least certainly whilst Moyes us in charge.
He has openly speculated on Bowen’s potential shift to the centre-forward position, echoing his successful history of converting wingers – remember Arnautovic ? In real terms we do need a top class striker however.
Bowen’s determination and off-the-ball work ethic harmonize with Moyes’ style, which although many may disagree and want him to remain wide, makes him a natural candidate for the role Moreover, Bowen’s transition to striker could create opportunities for Mohammed Kudus on the right flank. Whether we all agree or not is one thing but right now we should be glad to have the option!
With (excuse the pun) striking similarities to Antonio in terms of speed, strength, and commitment to Moyes’ style, Bowen’s potential transition is ok. Having recently secured a long-term contract, the prospect of Bowen leading West Ham’s attack at times in the forthcoming years is acceptable.
It wasn’t until Bowen was moved out to his more familiar right position that our improvement against Forest started.
He is more direct than Kudos who seems to have the tendency of passing backwards.
Antonio did very little in the game.
I would prefer to keep Bowen on the right and replace Antonio with a more effective striker.
I agree with Peter Moorehurst. Also, Jarrod does an excellent job of backing up in defence on that right flank. He is a very hard working player. Divin Mubama is still worth a try in the middle up front. Who knows, he could be the answer to our striker problem.