West Ham to keep Jarrod Bowen but lose ‘next Vitinha’ in major relegation firesale

West Ham will be set for a major clearout if the club are relegated from the Premier League, but not every star’s future is so clear-cut.

The Hammers are the favourites to become the third and final team to drop down to the Championship with just two matches to go.

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Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are languishing in the relegation zone and can only overhaul one other club, Tottenham, in the race for safety.

West Ham, who next travel to face Newcastle on Sunday, are currently two points adrift of Spurs following a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

Their fate will be sealed if the Irons fail to win at St James’ Park and then Roberto De Zerbi’s men beat Chelsea on Tuesday evening.

In that scenario, it is expected that nearly all of West Ham’s senior assets will leave the club, with captain Jarrod Bowen top of the list.

The 29-year-old England star has scored eight Premier League goals and assisted a further 10 in his 36 top-flight appearances this season.

Jarrod Bowen’s West Ham future

Bowen has been tipped as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah at Liverpool, with Newcastle and Everton also said to be keen.

talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook has revealed that the forward, married to the daughter of celebrity Hammers fan and actor Danny Dyer, is unlikely to push for a move if they stay in the Premier League.

However, fellow West Ham VIP supporter James Corden believes there’s still a scenario in which Bowen avoids leaving regardless.

“I don’t know why I think this, and it could just be because I love Jarrod,” he told Andy Goldstein and Gabby Agbonlahor on talkSPORT Breakfast. “I’ve got a sort of niggling feeling that I feel like Jarrod might stay.

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Bowen to Liverpool – but not Everton or Newcastle

“If I were Jarrod, unless Liverpool go…I think if Liverpool come in for him or Man United come in for him, he absolutely should go.

“And he should go with every West Ham fan’s blessing because the opportunity to play in the Champions League is something that Jared Bowen, I think, cannot give up.

“If the question is, should I leave West Ham and go to Everton, or I don’t know, Brentford, or Newcastle, where you’re not guaranteed Champions League football in any way, shape or form.

“If I were Jared Bowen, I’d say to the owners, I’ll take the pay cut, which I think is 40 per cent, something like that.

“I’ll take the pay cut, and I’ll stay, if we come back up, you give it all to me on the day we go up, and I want a new contract.”

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Mateus Fernandes is ‘next Vitinha’

Fernandes’ future appears much clearer, with talkSPORT’s Crook reporting his plans to leave the club if they are relegated.

The Portuguese midfielder, who only joined from Southampton last summer in a deal worth £42million, has been scouted by Man United.

Gavin and Stacey star Corden likened non-West Ham opinions of the 21-year-old to how his compatriot Vitinha was judged in England.

The latter infamously struggled on loan at Wolves, ironically under now-Irons chief Nuno, during the 2020/21 season, scoring just one goal – against Chorley in the FA Cup.

However, now Vitinha is among Europe’s best midfielders, having been named on the Ballon d’Or podium in September after helping Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League.

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“Fernandes, I think he’s an extraordinary footballer,” Corden said on talkSPORT Breakfast. “I think he will go to a [top] team.

“He reminds me a bit of Vitinha in PSG, who was at Wolves – Wolves fans knew how good he was, and no one else really took any notice.

“Now he’s at PSG, and we’re like, ‘he’s amazing.’

“I think Fernandes has that sort of ability.”

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What about the rest of West Ham’s squad?

Mads Hermansen, who has recovered from a shaky start to become Nuno’s No.1 goalkeeper, remains under contract until 2030.

The Dane kept 13 clean sheets with Leicester City during his last second-tier spell and will likely retain his spot between the sticks.

That would open the door for Alphonse Areola to seek pastures new, with Lukasz Fabianski reported to be considering retirement.

Relegation will also leave West Ham with no chance of making Axel Disasi’s loan deal from Chelsea permanent.

His centre-back partner Konstantinos Mavropanos will also leave, with El Hadji Malick Diouf also attracting interest from Man United.

In attack, Callum Wilson agreed a surprise new one-year deal at West Ham in March, but Crysencio Summerville is in high demand.

The club will also need to recoup some of the £40m-plus outlay spent in January on Pablo Felipe and Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos, with the latter scoring all four of the pair’s combined Premier League goals across 28 top-flight appearances.