Daniel Kretinsky can execute West Ham’s biggest transfer coup as new hope arises | OneFootball

West Ham United's biggest coup in this summer's transfer window would be keeping hold of captain Jarrod Bowen.

West Ham United have an extremely busy couple of months ahead of them as they try and build a squad that will be expected to win the Championship title next season.

Following their relegation from the Premier League, Nuno Espirito Santo, who won the Championship in the 2017/18 season with Wolverhampton Wanderers, confirmed he would stay on as Irons manager next season.

West Ham boast some extremely impressive talents, with Crysencio Summerville, who has starred at FIFA World Cup 2026 with the Netherlands, expected to be the subject of strong interest this summer alongside the likes of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo, said to be interested in moves away, Ipswich Town target Max Kilman, as well as right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the subject of interest from Sunderland.

All of that suggests West Ham already possess a squad capable of challenging for promotion next season and the remarkable £85 million fee that they have received for Mateus Fernandes from Tottenham Hotspur will only further help them strengthen.

Links persist with several players, from Adam Webster to Amario Cozier-Duberry and a quartet of Cardiff City players featuring Dylan Lawlor, Ronan Kpakio, Rubin Colwill and Yousef Salech.

New majority shareholder of the club, Daniel Kretinsky, has a brilliant opportunity to rebuild and refresh what has been a stagnating club – but their finest piece of business this summer would involve no movement whatsoever, and that is keeping hold of captain Jarrod Bowen.

West Ham may become increasingly confident on keeping Jarrod Bowen

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A player that was unfortunate not to be a part of an England squad that will believe they are genuine contenders to win the FIFA World Cup and someone who has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United since relegation, Jarrod Bowen in the Championship would be unfair on the rest of the division – and West Ham may become increasingly confident of retaining him.

From a financial perspective, there is surely now no real need for The Hammers to sell their captain and talisman, given the fee for Fernandes comes a few months after Lucas Paqueta was also sold for a decent sum to Flamengo – and other sales are still expected, too.

Clearly someone with deep affection for the club, as he explained his feelings following their relegation being confirmed, Bowen is a legend in East London already, having scored the winning goal in their UEFA Europa Conference League triumph in 2023 and, generally, been their star man for about half a decade.

Ties to the club extend beyond the pitch, too, with his wife, Dani Dyer, the daughter of celebrity West Ham fan Danny Dyer, always something worth keeping in mind when discussing the future prospects of Bowen.

Said to be increasingly confident of keeping Bowen in the Championship, the 29-year-old forward was front and centre of West Ham’s kit reveal for the new campaign, too.

Likely still desperate to regain his spot back in the England squad, if Bowen was to ever stay at a Championship club then this may be the season to do it with it being a season that does not end with a major tournament – aside from the possibility of the UEFA Nations League finals.

There would be time next season for him to bid to be a part of the UEFA EURO 2028 squad, having potentially broken records by helping West Ham return to the Premier League, cementing his legendary status at the club – if that is not already assured.

Jarrod Bowen staying in the Championship would be a major coup for West Ham

There is an expectation that West Ham will invest quite heavily into their squad now, with the money raised by the Fernandes sale more than would be enough to put together a squad that would surely dominate the division.

The biggest coup that they could make, though, would be by retaining the services of their captain Jarrod Bowen, who could be something of a ‘cheat code’ for Nuno Espirito Santo in the second-tier.

Having come through at Hereford United, Bowen was picked up by Hull City in 2014 and he went on to become prolific for The Tigers as they floated around in the middle-of-the-table.

Hitting 14 goals in 42 and then 22 in 46 as an out and out right-winger for The Tigers in successive seasons, he then struck 16 goals in just 29 appearances in the first-half of the 2019/20 campaign – a season that saw Hull finish rock-bottom after completely collapsing following his sale – winning just one of their final 20 games, having been in the hunt for the top six and the play-off places with him, such was his impact.

At West Ham, Bowen has scored 65 Premier League goals, just three behind Michail Antonio in the list of West Ham’s all-time top scorers since the top-flight became the Premier League in 1992.

More than that, though, Bowen has been the man that has carried West Ham on his back for large parts in an era that has seen them win a European trophy as well as reach the semi-finals and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.

No Englishman provided more assists in Europe’s five major leagues last season than Bowen, with 11, alongside nine goals too, despite his involvement in a woeful West Ham side – and that can be fairly considered to have been an underwhelming campaign for him, such are the standards he has set.

15 away from equalling Martin Peters and joining the likes of Trevor Brooking, Tony Cottee, Geoff Hurst and Vic Watson in West Ham’s top ten scorers of all-time, Bowen threatens to be someone who would have a field day with Championship defences next season – and him staying put would be a massively impressive piece of business for both The Hammers and Kretinsky.