Bowen does not need to apologise - West Ham are broken and there is no easy fix

Jarrod Bowen said sorry after losing his cool with a couple of fans at the end of West Ham’s defeat by Wolves in the Carabao Cup, but anyone with any sense knows the forward has no need to apologise. The malaise has nothing to do with the player who scored the winner in the Conference League final two years ago. Quite frankly, West Ham are lucky Bowen is not pushing to leave. Nobody could blame the captain were he to decide enough is enough after years of atrocious recruitment and poor appointments from the people at the top.

This slump has been a long time coming. Some fans are fuming but a lot have grown apathetic. Mass walkouts feel very particular to the London Stadium. There was another one last Friday, much of the crowd following West Ham’s lead by giving up early as Chelsea rained in the goals. Humiliations have become so commonplace in E20 that many supporters wonder whether there are better things to do than watch their bungling team get pummelled at a soulless imitation of a football ground.

Bowen deserves better. West Ham are broken and there is no easy fix. The rot is deep and relegation is on the cards unless something drastic happens before the transfer window shuts on Monday. Even then, it would be hard to disagree with the view that substantial change will remain elusive until David Sullivan, the club’s most dominant figure over the past 15 years, sells his shares.

A big stadium means nothing when the wider infrastructure remains so dysfunctional. West Ham are being left behind by Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton. They look stale and outdated. Their recruitment is chaotic, with too many voices competing for attention. Multiple sources say that certain agents continue to have Sullivan’s ear, trying to influence his judgment on signings and managers.

None of this absolves Graham Potter and his trusted head of recruitment, Kyle Macaulay, of blame. Potter has lost 12 of his 22 games since replacing Julen Lopetegui as head coach in January. His 3-4-2-1 has left a ponderous midfield even more exposed. West Ham have conceded 11 goals in their first three games and have no resilience. It was obvious Wolves were going to win once they made it 2-2.

In Potter’s defence he inherited a poor squad from Lopetegui, who inherited an ageing squad from David Moyes, who inherited an unbalanced squad from Manuel Pellegrini. Underinvestment is not the issue. West Ham are working with a limited budget this summer but they have spent in recent years. It shows that one of Sullivan’s biggest failings is who he chooses to empower.

View image in fullscreen Lucas Paquetá apologises to the travelling fans after West Ham’s 3-2 defeat at Wolves in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

Parting company with Moyes in 2024 was not the mistake; it was not having a proper succession plan. Lopetegui was an awful choice, just as Tim Steidten was a dismal pick as technical director a year earlier. Moyes spent badly on expensive signings in 2022. Steidten did not live up to his reputation. The German’s biggest contribution was his role in blowing the £105m received for Declan Rice.

For some people, putting Steidten in charge was the worst mistake Sullivan has made. The former Bayer Leverkusen man’s work includes spending £27.5m on the underwhelming striker Niclas Füllkrug and bestowing upon West Ham the snail-paced midfield of Guido Rodríguez and Edson Álvarez.

He also turned down an opportunity to sign Dean Huijsen before the centre-back joined Bournemouth, who sold him to Real Madrid for a huge profit a year later. There are plenty of stories like that. Jørgen Strand Larsen and Marc Cucurella also got away. There was interest in Mateus Fernandes before the midfielder’s £12m move to Southampton, who are now telling West Ham they can have him – for £60m.

The damage was done by the time Steidten made way for Macaulay. The flaws in West Ham’s recruitment are evident in no one wanting to buy their players. The sale of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham for £54.5m this summer came from a position of weakness. West Ham had to sell to buy but the only useful offers came for Kudus. This is a squad cobbled together by an assortment of people. West Ham are stuck with expensive, underperforming centre-backs. They had to accept a loan for Álvarez and are yet to sell the 31-year-old Rodríguez.

This was never a one-window fix, but Potter and Macaulay have made the situation worse this summer. The place is undisciplined. It is staggering to hear that a current player has criticised the club to potential targets. Potter focused on banishing the toxicity in the dressing room during pre-season but the problems have not gone away. Lucas Paquetá, who is of interest to Tottenham, is open to leaving.

skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Football Daily Free daily newsletter Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football Enter your email address Sign up Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy . We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion

There is bemusement that Potter and Macaulay do not appear to have prioritised strengthening the midfield. West Ham instead spent much of their budget on the Senegal left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf and the Denmark goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who has struggled since joining from Leicester for £15m.

View image in fullscreen Mads Hermansen covers his face in despair after conceding against Sunderland on his West Ham debut. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

These are buys that should have been made only after the vast hole in midfield was filled. Now West Ham are panicking. Multiple sources say Sullivan started the summer determined to let Potter and Macaulay do what they wanted. Callum Wilson was not a Potter pick but he could have blocked the 33-year-old striker’s arrival on a free transfer. The narrative about interference from above is disputed.

It is felt that Potter and Macaulay set their sights too high. They are accused of naivety, of misjudging West Ham’s appeal to talents such as Jacob Ramsey and Harvey Elliott. Time has been wasted. Chelsea thought it was a joke when West Ham bid for Andrey Santos last week. West Ham were advised not to go in for Barcelona’s Marc Casadó before bidding for the midfielder. It is not clear why a powerful striker has not been targeted, while a new winger would help given that Crysencio Summerville has been out since January. Kudus has not been replaced. His departure has left West Ham dependent on Paquetá and Bowen for creativity.

Potter can argue that his shift to a controlled possession style will work once he has the players to fit his system. He needs time, but the clock is ticking. Macaulay is said to be under pressure to prove himself to Sullivan. The 76-year-old has resisted the temptation to impose players on Potter and Macaulay so far – he relented when it came to Hermansen, signing him instead of the Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor, who West Ham are now trying to bring in on loan – but some expect Sullivan to become more dominant. Macaulay and Potter will hope that buying the Monaco midfielder Soungoutou Magassa shifts the mood. They are also trying to sign a fast striker.

A swift turnaround in results is needed. A few more defeats will likely lead to Potter’s sacking. But what would another managerial change achieve? Sullivan will still be making the appointments. He has never shown an inclination to pay compensation for an in-demand manager. It is always someone unemployed. It will be more of the same.

Click here to read article