West Ham have announced that Jarrod Bowen will captain the side for the upcoming Premier League season in Julen Lopetegui's first campaign in charge.
Bowen, who has made 202 appearances for the Hammers since his move from Hull in 2020, takes the armband from Kurt Zouma, who is in talks over a move to the UAE.
The 27-year-old scored 16 league goals for West Ham last year, equalling Paulo Di Canio's record from the 1999-2000 campaign for the most goals scored by a Hammers player in a Premier League season.
The England international's 22 league goal involvements was the joint-ninth highest in the division, level with new Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke
Bowen recently captained West Ham to victory in their final pre-season fixture against Celta Vigo in the Betway Cup on Saturday, finding the net before a 6-5 penalty shootout saw them triumph at the London Stadium.
Bowen will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Mark Noble, an honour he was thrilled to accept.
“I am incredibly proud and happy to be West Ham United captain,” Bowen told West Ham's website. “We’ve had many great moments here as a club.
"I’ve been here four-and-a-half years now, so to be named Club captain is a really proud moment and one that I’ll wear with great honour.
“Since I’ve been here it’s just been an upward trajectory in what we’ve done on the pitch, what I’ve done off the pitch.
"To get to this moment is another statement of love I have for this club, along with when I signed my new deal last year.
"I said then that I want to stay here for the rest of my life and I haven’t come off that page. If I can go down as a legend here in years to come, that would be great.”
Bowen will lead the Hammers out for their first fixture of the new Premier League season on Saturday when they welcome Aston Villa to the London Stadium.
Pochettino to reportedly get first taste of international management with United States Men’s National Team
Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the new coach of the United States national team according to multiple reports.
The USMNT job would be a significant change for the 52-year-old as he has previously only managed at club level.
He spent three years with La Liga side Espanyol before spending a year at Southampton in the Premier League.
He then had the most successful spell of his managerial career, so far, during his six years at Tottenham Hotspur, including leading them to a UEFA Champions League final in his last full season there in 2018-19.
After being sacked by Spurs the following season, Pochettino then managed Paris St Germain for one season in 2021-22 before taking charge of Chelsea last season, leading them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
Pochettino is expected to be on the sidelines for the USMNT’s friendly against Canada on September 7 in Kansas City.
Postecoglou confirms Bissouma suspension for Spurs' Premier League opener
Ange Postecoglou has confirmed Yves Bissouma has been suspended for Tottenham's opening game of the Premier League campaign against Leicester.
Bissouma, who made 28 appearances last season, posted a video of himself inhaling nitrous oxide on social media last weekend.
The incident occurred hours after Spurs' final pre-season clash, where they lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in the Visit Malta Cup.
The 27-year-old later issued an apology, saying: "I want to apologise for these videos. This was a severe lack of judgement.
"I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.”
However, Spurs have since taken the decision to exclude the midfielder from the squad for their trip to the King Power Stadium on Monday.
"I've been in the game for a long time. When a situation like this arises, I've tried to look at them in a couple of ways," Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference.
"First, there's a person. That's Biss and he's made a poor decision.
"There are still sanctions involved, and some of those are educational. The second part of that is he's a footballer, with responsibilities.
"He won't be available on Monday. We've suspended him for Monday's game. He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group.
"The door is open for him and hopefully we can help him realise the decisions he makes impact the group.
"[It's down to] behaviour, it's that simple. It's about making better decisions. He was very apologetic to me, the club and everyone involved, but that's just part of it."
Gakpo confident of replicating Euro 2024 form for Liverpool under Slot
Cody Gakpo is confident he can replicate the form he showed at Euro 2024 for Liverpool in the Premier League under the guidance of Arne Slot.
Gakpo, who shared the Golden Boot with five other players at the European Championships with three goals, has failed to nail down a starting spot since his move to Anfield last year.
The Dutchman scored 16 goals across 53 appearances in all competitions last season, eight of which came in the Premier League for the Reds.
However, his performances in Germany saw him star for Ronald Koeman's side.
Gakpo's display against Romania in the last 16 saw him become the first Dutch player to score and assist in a knockout-stage game at the tournament since Frank Rijkaard in the 1992 semi-final versus Denmark.
The Liverpool man also led all Netherlands players for shots (12), shots on target (eight), chances created from open play (11) and expected assists (1.9).
He created 10 chances from ball carries at Euro 2024, five times shooting himself and five times setting up teammates, with only Lamine Yamal (15) and Kylian Mbappe (11) bettering that total.
"I'm very confident. It was a good Euros for me [but] unfortunately we lost to England," Gakpo told Liverpool's website.
"It was a good one for us as a country as well, even though we could do better maybe.
"I'm very happy to be back, full of confidence and I need to keep performing like that here as well.
Since his arrival from PSV Eindhoven, Gakpo has often fluttered across the forward line, with the ability to play out wide or as a central striker.
Last season, 27 of his 53 appearances were played as a lone striker, proving to be his most effective with 15 of his 22 goal contributions coming in that position.
But with the Reds under Slot's stewardship this campaign, Gakpo was able to detail the position he will play for much of the upcoming season.
"Yeah, I spoke to him and obviously he sees me as a left winger. That's how I think he sees me," Gakpo said.
"We have a lot of players in the front line and you know the season is long and there can be some injuries in every position.
"So he said, 'You're playing there but maybe I need you in another position, you can play there as well. Just be ready.'
"For me, I'm here and I try to play the best football I can and help the club as much as I can with my qualities."
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