Jarrod Bowen once again rescued West Ham from an even worse fate in the 1-1 draw with rivals Spurs and he had a message for their chairman Daniel Levy.
They say there is no smoke without fire and West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen is being linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur for a second season in a row.
Last summer Spurs chief Daniel Levy reportedly enquired to David Sullivan about signing Bowen.
The message back was that Bowen was not for sale after signing a seven-year deal until 2030.
But Sullivan is said to have told Levy he would need to pay £150m to stand any chance.
Tottenham have been heavily linked with Bowen again in the last two weeks. West Ham maintain their best player and talisman is not for sale.
Worrying source confirmed Levy’s Bowen plan
But this time a minimum price of £100m is being floated by sources close to Sullivan.
After a dismal 18 months for West Ham, many pundits and journalists have started the narrative that Bowen may have to leave to help his England ambitions.
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Especially as the 17th placed Hammers have missed out on Europe again for next season – by a long way – after three successive seasons playing across the continent.
Spurs have been just as bad as West Ham this season in the Premier League.
But Tottenham could see their season saved and find themselves playing Champions League football if they go on to win the Europa League after putting one foot in the final – where they’ll likely face Man United.
When Tottenham’s interest in Bowen re-emerged recently, it was scoffed at by West Ham fans.
Sullivan and co wouldn’t dare sell him to their big rivals, would they?
Especially since an unofficial transfer embargo has been in place between the two clubs since a furious boardroom row erupted when Levy pulled the plug on Emmanuel Adebayor’s proposed move from Tottenham to West Ham in 2015.
While West Ham continue to insist Bowen is one of the only untouchables in the current squad, money is a big issue in east London this summer due to PSR.
Supporters scoffing at Spurs’ interest in Bowen suddenly didn’t feel so confident when a top Hammers insider, who counts Sullivan as his key club source, delivered an ominous update on the situation.
Sean Whetstone revealed Levy has a cunning plan to try and prise Bowen away from West Ham and take him to Tottenham.
Whetstone said he had been told Tottenham “will” bid for Bowen this summer to “test West Ham’s resolve”.
And he stated that Levy thinks he can take advantage of West Ham’s precarious financial situation, which means they have no choice but to sell players.
After the worrying claim, West Ham fans rather desperately reassured themselves that Bowen’s Hammers fanatic father-in-law-to-be Danny Dyer simply wouldn’t allow that to happen.
But as has been proved too many times in the past in football, money often talks for clubs.
Bowen has made his feelings clear on Levy’s sly Spurs plan to lure him from West Ham, though.
Preying on West Ham’s poor financial state is as underhanded as it comes.
As laughable as some may see the Spurs rumours, the potential carrot of Champions League football is an elephant in the room.
All eyes were on Bowen when the rivals met at the London Stadium – quite literally on this occasion as Tottenham got to see his immense talent up close when he scored West Ham’s equaliser.
Kiss goodbye Bowen tells Spurs as he shows where loyalty lies
But it was what Bowen very deliberately did after that which sent a message directly to Levy watching on from stands.
Given the recent reports and the fact he lives in Essex surrounded by West Ham and Tottenham supporters, Bowen would be well aware of the speculation.
Future father-in-law Dyer would undoubtedly have brought the subject up too.
The 28-year-old made his stance abundantly clear for all – including Levy – to see.
As he wheeled away in celebration, Bowen pointed to the direction of his family’s box in the London Stadium.
He then lifted the West Ham badge from his shirt, raised it up, dusted it off and very deliberately kissed it.
If that doesn’t send a message to Levy and the fans, nothing will.
Kissing the badge against your biggest Premier League rivals after they’ve been linked with you – yet again – is akin to saying ‘I’m West Ham and I’m going nowhere’.
There has been little to nothing to shout about for Hammers fans for some time now.
But Bowen has at least given them this as a huge positive from their underwhelming draw against Tottenham’s reserve side.