Jarrod Bowen: West Ham captain says Premier League relegation worries were 'starting to creep in' last season

Jarrod Bowen says West Ham's relegation worries were "starting to creep in" last season with the club now on the brink of losing their Premier League status.

West Ham must beat Leeds on the final day of the Premier League season to avoid relegation, live on Sky Sports. The Hammers are two points behind Tottenham with a significantly worse goal difference.

Bowen has told Sky Sports their season has been a "catalogue of errors" which stretches back to last term under Graham Potter, who took over from Julen Lopetegui in January 2025 before being sacked last September.

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Bowen said: "I think you've got to look at that because it's been three years this summer since we won a European trophy. Even that season, we finished 14th, we weren't that great.

"The season after we finished up in the top half of the table and from then, we finished 15th last season. We weren't great, but we got ourselves out of it.

"It's not like this season has just come straightaway. It was starting to creep in a little bit last season. But we thought we'd be better this season. Obviously, we had a new manager, then we changed manager after a few games.

"New players coming in. You never want to sit here and give excuses. That's not what I'm about because ultimately it's us. It's all on us. We're the ones that play.

"You can be set up in a way that you can do things. But when you cross that line, it's your 11 players on the pitch against their 11 players on the pitch. That's ultimately what it is. And we just haven't played well enough. We haven't been good enough as a group."

Bowen has also been critical of his own performances this season, scoring eight league goals and providing 10 assists in 37 appearances.

"I haven't played to the standards that I know that I can," he said. "I'm big enough to accept that. I just haven't played well enough."

Bowen has been linked with a move away from the club even if West Ham avoid relegation, but he will not decide on his future until the season has finished.

"I've done it since I've been at Hull. I sit down at the end of every season and think, what's best for me? What do I feel? What's my gut feeling? And then make a decision and go with it there," he said.

"I love this club. I have a lot of care for this club. So I want to put all my energy into this week.

"A lot of stuff gets printed. That's what happens in social media and in newspapers these days. A lot of false things get put out there.

"When there's time to speak and time to address different things, then it will come from me because that's how I work.

"I'm quite honest. I'm quite open. I'll always address different sorts of things. But for me now, my energy has to be into this week. There's no other way."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Jarrod Bowen: West Ham captain says Premier League relegation worries were 'starting to creep in' last season