Jarrod Bowen has stated his desire to make the difference for West Ham this season ahead of their crucial clash with Tottenham Hotspur this evening.

After etching his name into East London folklore with his goal in the Conference League final, Jarrod Bowen has used that momentum to go up a level ever since. His 8 league goals so far this season means he’s England’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League.

While he will be hoping that his side can gain on the European places tonight, he knows that tonight’s London Derby will be anything but predictable. “Tottenham have started really well,” he told WHUFC.com. 

“It will be a really tough game. We played them in pre-season over in Australia and they were really good. They’re a great team and it’s going to be difficult.”

Spurs went unbeaten in their first 10 games of the campaign but, thanks to a worsening injury crisis, they have only picked up 1 point from their past 4 matches. Despite this, manager Ange Postecoglou has refused to change tactics and they’re still an incredibly dangerous, attacking side. 

“I think you saw at the weekend, against Manchester City, what Tottenham are about,” Bowen confirmed. “It was a really good game, it was open and attacking, so it will be difficult for us on Thursday. But we’ve got to stamp our authority on them.”

Tonight could be a massive game in West Ham’s season, a win could see them move just 3 points outside the top 5 and the Hammer’s No.20 is still confident that his side can achieve European football once again. 

“There is still a lot of football to be played. I think this season, in the Premier League, is the most competitive it’s been in a long, long time. Even looking at the top ten and then the teams slightly below, every team is a top side now.”

“We’re there or there abouts. We’re probably a few points off where we’d like to be, in terms of going up into the European places, but there is a lot of football still to be played and we can’t judge ourselves too much on 14 games played so far.”

Without a doubt, the winger is one of the most in-form players in the league this season. He has caused untold problems for defenders and while his streak of scoring in every away game might have ended due to injury, he will be hoping to pick up where he left off. 

“I want to be the top goalscorer at the Club and I relish that competition and that responsibility of scoring goals. I’ve started with a good few goals this season but I want to score more,” he stated.

“We’ve got a few games coming up quickly now, which is a real chance to get a few more. If possible, I’d want to score every week,” he said, adding: “but it’s more important the team wins the games.

“I’m probably in the best form of my career and enjoying my football as much as ever. Maybe things away from the pitch have helped me as a person and a player but, whatever it is, I really want to keep it going.”

Despite the concerns of some fans, Bowen insisted “there is a lot to look forward to” still. “We’re in Europe again in 2024 and we’ve got a quarter-final of the Carabao Cup to look forward to. We’ve also got another cup competition, the FA Cup, starting in January.”

If he can keep up this form, there is no reason he could not finish on 20 goals in the Premier League alone. We know how desperate the club is for a striker in January but Bowen has been doing a brilliant job at filling that goal-scoring void. He may need to do it again tonight if he wants a fourth season of European football at the London Stadium.