As the next season of the Premier League will start in August, West Ham United went to Germany for training. West Ham captain Bowen said in an interview that pre-season training will help improve the players' condition and enhance the team's cohesion.

In the 2024/25 Premier League, the 28-year-old Bowen contributed 13 goals and 8 assists for West Ham.

Bowen said in an interview, "I believe it will be very hard training, and this is a very critical period. I also believe that when you pay less, you will gain a lot. We will play against Grasshopper Zurich in a friendly match, which is good. It is also an opportunity for all players to participate, get along with each other and get to know each other better. After all, we will be together every day during the training camp before flying to the United States."

“Pre-season training is also an opportunity to build trust, especially for those players who have just returned from loan. It is even more necessary to build a strong team spirit, and this trip to Germany provides such an opportunity. For the coach, it is a valuable experience to have a full six weeks to train with us. Having a full pre-season preparation time will be very helpful for the players, the coach and the coaching staff.”

Bowen continued, “I think this is somewhat similar to playing in European competitions. We may not know much about the opponent’s style of play or characteristics, but once the game starts, it is a challenge completely different from the Premier League. This is a very positive challenge. We can be exposed to different football styles, rhythms and game intensity. The opponents themselves are also very good and have performed well in the Swiss Super League.”

“It will be a great match for us, as it will allow us to get a feel for the rhythm of facing unfamiliar opponents in advance. It will be a good challenge and test to play against Grasshopper Zurich somewhere else.”

On the other hand, after the match against Grasshoppers Zurich, West Ham will fly to the United States to participate in the Premier League summer series, and the first round will be against Manchester United.

Bowen also added, "We all know that the first pre-season game will always be difficult because the team has not played a formal game for six or seven weeks. The intensity of the game cannot be fully simulated in training, so this will be a tough battle. Even if this is a friendly match, we still hope to win, because establishing a winning mentality in the early season will be very beneficial at the start of the new season."