Will West Ham United match the feats of past seasons? A question mark that hovers above the heads of many of the staunch Hammers faithful, no doubt, but one that certainly has an answer that could send the club into rapture come June.
David Moyes has bolstered admirably over the summer and will be delighted with performances after last term's tumult resulted in a 16th-place Premier League finish – though the triumph of the Europa Conference League restored the verve of a club knocked out of countenance.
It marks a significant moment in the English top-flight outfit's history, having endured two relegations across the past two decades and consistently languished below the place the fans strive for the club to be situated in: the upper end of the divisional table.
Now enjoying European competition for the third successive season, West Ham are in a good position to challenge for a spot once again, having started the season well and occupying a European spot after eight matches.
And despite the £105m sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal, the recuperation has been conducted both diligently and prudently, avoiding mistakes of previous lucrative sales on the English scene – step forward Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur (Luis Suarez & Gareth Bale).
Rice's exit now leaves the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen in the supremacy as the club's most valuable, marketable, match-winnable assets, with the Englishman, in particular, lighting the game aflame so far this year.
How good is Jarrod Bowen?
Bowen is one of the staples of Moyes' success in east London, joining from second-tier side Hull City on a £22m transfer on deadline day in January 2020.
26-years-old, Bowen has posted 45 goals and 33 assists from 167 outings, a tally including a goal of surpassing composure as he deftly slotted a ball past Pietro Terracciano's Fiorentina goal in the last moments of the Conference League finale in June.
Season
Apps
Goals
Assists
G/A Rate
23/24
9
5
2
0.78
22/23
54
13
8
0.37
21/22
51
18
13
0.61
20/21
40
8
6
0.35
19/20
13
1
4
0.38
This season, the £120k-per-week menace has already notched up five goals in the Premier League, having bagged two assists too (one in the Europa League), earning praise for his "unbelievable" shooting by talkSPORT's Simon Jordan.
Bowen's prowess from both his favoured right flank and in a more central position has paid dividends for Moyes thus far, with the five-cap star compensating for injuries or loss of form to Michail Antonio, Danny Ings and such.
A dynamic and deadly threat, recently attracting transfer attention from English goliaths such as Liverpool and Newcastle United, but having penned a new long-term contract at the London Stadium, West Ham boast a talisman for years still to come.
That being said, he needs support, and Moyes might be inclined to unleash a teenage prospect with bags of talent to not only save millions, but provide the club with an heir fit to succeed Bowen one day.
That starlet is Gideon Kodua, who has been most impressive for the Hammers over the past few years and could be the latest to ascend from a flourishing academy to an ambitious senior set-up.
How good is Gideon Kodua?
Perhaps Kodua has lived in the shadow of Divin Mubama somewhat over the past few years, but he has adopted a starring role in 2023, and will be pushing on Moyes' door promptly.
Mubama is evidence that the current Hammers youth crop can wedge their way into the thriving first-team, with the striker, aged 18, boasting a goal and assist apiece from eight senior outings, having scored 54 times for the development side.
Kodua is an attacking player, sure, but his skills lay across different levels, a protean threat. Described as being “at the front of everything” by journalist Lawrence Baidoo, he's primarily a centre-forward but has displayed an array of skills across a range of roles.
Utilised deeper this season, Kodua has scored twice and assisted once from seven outings – serving a goal in an emphatic 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers in the EFL Trophy.
Yet to make his senior debut, the 19-year-old has already exhibited his first-class technicality through one looping goal from range that David Beckham (and Charlie Adam, for that matter) would be proud of in the FA Cup Youth Final against Arsenal.
It was a truly sensational strike, and one that would have alerted Moyes to his potential, had he not already been aware of the precocity at his disposal.
Captaining his side, Kodua clearly boasts the leadership capacity to make a marked impact on the squad too, with that triumphant FA Youth Cup campaign leading the teenager to plunder three goals and five assists from six displays – with 22 direct goal contributions across all competitions.
Bowen, like Kodua, is a natural goalscorer but his craft also allows him to perform as a creative component, something that has been integral to the fluidity of Moyes' progress at the London Stadium.
Such quality welcomes the beckoning call of the Premier League, and should this “special” talent – as stated by footballer Kiernan Hughes-Mason – continue his meteoric rise by sustaining his stellar showings this year, he will follow in Mubama's footsteps and provide West Ham with an exciting new attacking talent.
The quality at the formative level and the exploits of the first-team are in tandem, with West Ham U18 coach Kevin Keen heralding the progress of his boys earlier this year.
He said: “This is my 40th year in football and that’s the proudest I’ve ever been. The crowd were like an extra man for us. It’s a massive moment for a club that is very well known for our academy and hopefully some of them can go on to have really strong careers for the club.”
Bowen is going nowhere, of course, but a homegrown understudy such as Kodua would only be a good thing, as the Irons look to cement their position of strength over the coming years.
