Jarrod Bowen has suggested he has no plans to leave West Ham after the club was relegated from the Premier League, saying he is prepared to help the club earn promotion next season.
The Irons came into the final day of the season needing victory over Leeds and for Tottenham to lose to Everton if they were to dodge relegation. They kept up their end of the deal with a 3-0 victory, but Spurs’ narrow defeat of the Toffees ensured they would go back down to the Championship for the first time since 2012.
There has been plenty of speculation as to which West Ham players might be dispensed with should they be relegated, captain Bowen chief among them, but the forward insists he has no plans to leave.
“Ultimately, this season we haven’t been good enough and we’ve paid the price,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’m under contract here. I’ve been here six and a half years. I’ve had some really high moments and this is a low moment that will outweigh everything.
“There’s going to be rumours, there’s going to be talk. Ultimately, what I see is getting this club back in the Premier League because that is where it deserves to be.
“This is a really, really low moment, but we have to bounce back because there’s no other way. This is a really difficult moment.
“You never know what the future holds. For me, I want to get this club back in the Premier League. Right now our vision is to do that.”
He continued: “We have to go away now, not enjoy our time off because you’re never going to enjoy your time off with the season we’ve had, but stay with your family and loved ones, recover well and prepare well for when we come back in and get promoted.”
Bowen was on the scoresheet against Leeds on the final day, along with Taty Castellanos and Callum Wilson, but their three points were not enough to escape relegation.
Asked whether the final day served as a consolation, Bowen added: "Not really [a consolation that West Ham did what they needed to] because we never wanted to be in this situation.
"Coming into the game, we had to take care of ourselves and hold onto that bit of hope that we had. That's all we could do. We were relying on another result. Ultimately, it's not enough.
“[I just feel] hurt. I've been here six and a half years now. Had a lot of good moments and this outweighs all of it. Getting this club relegated... it hurts.
"We shouldn't be in the position we're in but we've found ourselves in it and we've not done enough to stay up. Hurt is the only thing."
