Alan Shearer warns Jarrod Bowen could regret West Ham stay

Alan Shearer believes Jarrod Bowen could eventually regret his decision to stay at West Ham United if the Hammers fail to secure promotion back to the Premier League this season.

West Ham have endured a difficult opening to life in the Championship, increasing scrutiny around their prospects of making an immediate return to the top flight.

Speaking on Betfair, Shearer suggested Bowen has effectively given West Ham another season to get back into the Premier League before reassessing his future.

Bowen's decision to remain with West Ham following relegation represented a major boost for the club.

Rather than immediately seeking a move back to the Premier League, the attacker has stayed to help the Hammers attempt to secure promotion at the first opportunity.

Shearer believes that was likely central to Bowen's thinking.

“Clearly, Jarrod Bowen would have thought he'd give it one more season to get West Ham back up into the Premier League and then review it after that,” Shearer said.

However, the former Newcastle United striker believes the situation could look very different if West Ham remain in the Championship beyond this campaign.

“If West Ham don't get promoted, there's no doubt he could regret that decision.”

Despite the difficult start, Shearer stressed it is far too early to conclude that West Ham's promotion hopes are already in serious trouble.

Only a small number of Championship fixtures have been played, leaving plenty of time for the Hammers to recover and establish themselves as promotion contenders.

“I wouldn't write them off just yet,” Shearer said.

“We've only had the first couple of fixtures, and there are lots of knee-jerk reactions as you'd expect.”

West Ham's challenge will now be ensuring their early difficulties do not develop into a prolonged run of poor results.

Keeping Bowen gives West Ham an important attacking weapon in their attempt to return immediately to the Premier League.

However, Shearer's comments underline the potential consequences should the club fail to achieve that objective.

Another season outside the top flight could leave Bowen facing a major career decision, particularly if he feels he has already given the Hammers an opportunity to regain their Premier League status.

For now, though, Shearer believes both Bowen and West Ham deserve time before conclusions are drawn from their opening Championship results.

West Ham must quickly find consistency and establish themselves among the Championship's promotion contenders.

Bowen's longer-term future could become increasingly important as the season develops, but Shearer believes judgement should be reserved until there is a clearer picture of West Ham's promotion prospects.