Nuno Espirito Santo already has difficult Jarrod Bowen decision to make at West Ham
Nuno Espirito Santo will have to ponder over a huge decision at West Ham, which may split the fanbase immediately into his tenure.
Graham Potter was sacked at West Ham after the Hammers registered just one Premier League win to begin the campaign.
Former Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been appointed West Ham boss, following the superb job he did at the City Ground after guiding the club to European football last season.
Nuno also did a fine job at Wolves meaning he arrives at the London Stadium with Premier League pedigree, but he inherits many problems from Potter, which may be difficult to fix.
Nuno Espirito Santo may need to make captaincy call on Jarrod Bowen
Nuno inherits an ageing squad at West Ham, though despite the experience at the club, there is a lack of leaders in the changing room.
The Athletic [28 September] reported that star Jarrod Bowen has had his leadership skills questioned.
“A common theme this season has been how quiet the dressing-room was after matches,” The Athletic revealed.
“Even following heavy losses to London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham, none of the senior players were vocal. Instead, it was Potter who did most of the talking.
“There were also questions over Bowen’s inability to lead the team. Although he is considered the club’s best player, he is not perhaps naturally suited to the captaincy.”
Bowen clashed with a supporter after West Ham’s defeat against Wolves in the League Cup, later apologising for the incident.
Who could replace Bowen as West Ham captain?
James Ward-Prowse is the current vice-captain of West Ham and was previously captain at Southampton, making him a contender if Nuno wanted to strip Bowen of the captaincy.
Nuno worked with Max Kilman at Wolves, whilst Thomas Soucek has worn the captain’s armband for his native country, the Czech Republic, in the past.
However, there does look to be a lack of candidates and Nuno may want to address the lack of leadership in the January transfer window.
Bowen does care about West Ham, and the 28-year-old is a fan favourite, so Nuno may be doing himself no favours by changing captain.
| Jarrod Bowen | Stats |
| Goals | 2 |
| Expected Goals | 0.67 |
| Shots | 12 |
| Shots on target | 6 |
Nuno does not need to make West Ham fans even more furious following recent protests at matches towards the owners about how the club is run.
The Portuguese manager needs to bring stability to West Ham following a turbulent time post David Moyes.