Bowen has declared his intention to remain at West Ham United after the club’s drop into the Championship this season.
The forward has attracted significant interest from several Premier League clubs but has made clear his desire to stay and fight for promotion.
As part of his deliberations over the summer, Bowen travelled to Prague for talks with the club’s largest shareholder, Daniel Kretinsky, and board member Jiri Svarc.
Bowen explained his thinking directly: “I feel like we’re moving in the right direction as a club. There’s a lot of thinking time over the summer and a lot of things that go in your head.”
He added: “But I look in years and years to come of when I retire, what’s going to bring me the most happiness. For me now that’s getting this club back into the Premier League.”
The 29-year-old has been at West Ham since January 2020, when he joined from Hull City, which was the last occasion he played Championship football.
Bowen holds a contract at the club through to 2030 and described committing his future to West Ham as “a no-brainer for me to be here”, despite interest from Aston Villa, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea.
His decision to stay at a second-tier club will likely damage any realistic hopes of forcing his way back into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad in the near term.
Reflecting on his Prague meeting, Bowen said: “I flew out to Prague in the Czech Republic to meet Daniel and Jiri and the ambition that I got from them, certainly in terms of the direction the club wants to move in, it interests me a lot.”
He continued: “It didn’t take a lot for me, because this club means a lot to me.”
West Ham have been active in raising funds since their relegation, receiving £85 million from Tottenham Hotspur for Mateus Fernandes to help stabilise their finances.
Winger Crysencio Summerville, who has attracted interest from Manchester United among other clubs, is expected to depart this summer alongside Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jean-Clair Todibo.
The sales represent a significant reshaping of the squad as West Ham look to build a side capable of bouncing back to the Premier League at the first attempt.