Moyes hints at changing Hammers attack
There are strong indications from West Ham manager David Moyes that Michail Antonio’s time as the main striker for the team might be coming to an end. In discussions with journalists, Moyes hinted that Jarrod Bowen could potentially take on the role of leading the Hammers’ attack in the future. Interestingly, Moyes even referred to Bowen as a ‘number nine’ on a couple of occasions.
What’s particularly surprising is that when Moyes listed his most potent attacking players, Michail Antonio’s name was notably absent. The Scottish manager talked about Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus, and Bowen as his top-tier attackers, but Antonio was left out when discussing his first-choice players.
Changing role for Bowen
“I’m loathe to say Jarrod Bowen has suddenly a No9 because we might need him to play No7 and do the job that he’s doing there,” Moyes told reporters. “But in time I see it changing for Jarrod, I really do. Hopefully, people would have seen my thoughts over a few months. I actually think Freiburg was probably the night, he was terrific that night in Freiburg and I think that made me reconsider it.
Moyes hints at changing Hammers attack
“We had a bit of a blip after the international break but the game the other night (Arsenal) got us back on track. And the performance, more importantly, from the likes of Mo and Jarrod and Paqueta got us thinking there are other solutions to what we’ve got here.”
While it’s not clear if Bowen will now become the main striker and both Ings and Antonio will only serve as backups, it seems likely that, given Antonio’s age (33), his time at West Ham might be approaching its conclusion. With the January window approaching, selling Ings would free up some of the wage bill, enabling Tim Steidten to refresh the squad when needed, with a striker who can seriously challenge the status quo.
Whether David Moyes is around long enough to see the fruits of his labour is open to debate. However, it’s good that he’s noticing the lack of impact from a player who is not contributing enough goals to the cause.