Kurt Zouma has spoken about how impressed he is with teammate Jarrod Bowen and the pride he took in wearing the captain’s armband.
Despite his controversies, Zouma is a fan favourite at West Ham. His commitment to a challenge as well as his work ethic have made him vital to David Moyes.
The defender spoke about how Bowen is one of the most crucial players to the Hammers, praising him for his screamer in the first game of the season. “That’s what Jarrod does,” he confirmed to the clubs Official Website. “I’ve known him since I’ve been at West Ham and always he is surprising me with his quality and what he can do on the pitch.”
“He can do everything with the ball and he can do a lot without the ball as well,” Zouma told West Ham TV. “He’s a big weapon for us and he’s so important for us in this team.”
West Ham lacked an identity for much of last season, much of this has been put down to new signings taking time to settle in but now, according to the Frenchman, their bond has grown and are now working as a unit. “We’ve all been together for the last year, which makes it easier in terms of the games and knowing what each other are about.” He went on to add: “we’re a family in this team and we’re all fighting for each other.”
While the 28-year-old did confess to being somewhat disappointed with the result against the Cherries, it was a performance that lays a good foundation ahead of the London derby against his former club Chelsea. “I think we should have come away with the three points. We had a few chances to score and we hit the post twice. But the effort from the lads was spot on and the fans were behind us all the way through the game, and it was a tough game.”
“We do feel a bit disappointed,” he continued, “because we didn’t really do anything wrong.”
It was a match to cherish though for Zouma, as he was given the chance to captain the East London side and looked comfortable in the role. “It was my first time doing that and I’m so honoured to have captained this team. West Ham is a big Club and I feel very, very proud.”
“It was a big moment for me because it’s my first time being a captain at a professional level. I’d like to have marked it with a win but hopefully we can do that against Chelsea,” he concluded.
Unfortunately, David Moyes hasn’t settled on who will be the next permanent captain, following Declan Rice’s departure, but there’s no reason Zouma couldn’t do the job. He’s a popular figure in the camp and appears to have all the traits of a natural leader. If he can motivate the team and give them that edge in the future to push on instead of collapsing, like in the Bournemouth game, he will certainly be giving his manager something to ponder upon.
By Charlie Bass
