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Jarrod Bowen caught plenty by surprise when he chose to commit his future to West Ham after their relegation from the Premier League. Did that call have anything to do with keeping his wife Dani and father-in-law Danny Dyer pleased? Former Hammers player Ray Houghton has addressed that question, with the England international having ignored the transfer speculation around him.

World Cup snub & Liverpool links: Bowen's summer of 2026

Once relegation to the Championship was confirmed, concern grew at the London Stadium over how long club captain Bowen would remain. As an established top-flight performer and England international, he had been widely expected to consider opportunities away from the East End.

The 29-year-old forward was, however, left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 World Cup. That disappointment may have had some influence on his thinking as he weighed up his options.

Liverpool had reportedly been monitoring him for a while and, with Mohamed Salah having left a huge gap on the right side of their attack, the fit appeared obvious. But no formal bid was ever made. There was also talk of interest from other clubs, although none of those rumours developed into anything concrete.

Bowen ultimately made his wish to stay at West Ham public, determined to help the club return to the top level, and he remains under a long-term contract until 2030. That sense of professional stability is likely to have been appreciated by the people closest to him personally.

Did the Dyer family influence Bowen's decision to stay?

Asked whether members of Bowen's family who support West Ham may have played a part in such a major career decision, Houghton, a West Ham academy graduate, said: “You'd have to ask Jarrod that!

“I'm a little surprised because there was a lot of talk about him moving on, wasn't there? There was plenty of talk about Liverpool a year or so ago. When you look at him, he'll be disappointed that he didn't go to the World Cup.

“He comes across as a loyal lad. He'll be hoping he can take West Ham straight back up. But it's not that simple, they've lost a lot of players. They should still have enough to be competitive in the Championship.

“I've been in that situation myself when you've gone down and you're a big scalp, so many teams want to beat you, and that was clear against Burnley when they were 2-0 up and then conceded two goals.

“Jarrod seems a really good lad and he knows exactly what he's doing, he knows what he wants from his career. I'm sure if things don't go well for West Ham this year, then he'll probably move on.”

Why did Liverpool not make a move for the England international?

Speaking about the links with Liverpool, former Reds midfielder Houghton added: “I know they've been looking at wingers, I think that's been obvious. You only have to look at the players they've been trying to use in those areas.

“[Rio] Ngumoha has done well on the right at the moment. I watched [Victor] Munoz when he played against Como in the first game, when it was at the training ground. We've got Cody Gakpo.

“They've lost a few over the last few years - Mo Salah went after last season, and before that Luis Diaz, which was a big blow. I don't understand that, and I won't pretend to know what happened, but it was a bad move because you can see what he's done at Bayern Munich as well. He's a top, top player.

“But yes, I think Liverpool have been in the market for wingers, and I still think they are. I believe they're still looking at one or two players they can bring in to strengthen that part of the squad.

“But as far as Jarrod is concerned, I don't think his father-in-law would have been anywhere near the top of the list when he was deciding what to do. I just think he's a loyal lad and he'll probably give it one season to see where the club goes.”

West Ham fixtures 2026-27: One point from two games

After throwing away a two-goal lead in their opening Championship match of 2026-27 against Burnley, West Ham then let more valuable points slip in their most recent outing by suffering a surprise 2-1 home defeat to fellow London side Charlton.

They are next due to face Southampton in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, before travelling to Watford on Saturday. Nuno Espirito Santo is hoping to add more new signings before the summer transfer window closes, with further support for talismanic captain Bowen being targeted.