Relegation

AS captain of actor Danny Dyer’s beloved West Ham United, Jarrod Bowen was seen as the perfect match for his daughter Dani Dyer.

But May 2026 will go down in history as a devastating time for the Dyers, after Bowen captained West Ham to relegation from the Premier League – for the first time in 15 years – which has put his and Dani’s future up in the air, and has broken his father-in-law’s heart.

Just two days before the Hammers’ relegation, Jarrod suffered more devastation when he missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad, and insiders have now told us just what this might mean for him and Dani going forward, and how ex-EastEnders star Danny is coping.

Rivals actor Danny once famously joked he was probably “more in love” with Jarrod than his own daughter was, and he has previously been spotted singing an X-rated chant about Dani alongside the West Ham faithful: “Bowen’s on fire, and he’s s****ing Dani Dyer.”

Jarrod certainly rose to the occasion in June 2023, when he netted a last-minute winner in the Europa Conference League final to secure West Ham their first major European trophy for 58 years.

A day after the historic moment, Danny told talkSPORT: “I just didn’t think I could love a man anymore.

“It’s always a weird thing because it’s your daughter, they fall in love with people you don’t usually like, but she brought home Jarrod Bowen.

“I think I love Jarrod more than anyone, more than me own wife! I’m a bit jealous of my daughter.”

Since meeting in 2021, Jarrod and former Love Island star Dani welcomed twin daughters, Summer and Star, both three, in 2023, and two years afterwards, the couple married in late May 2025.

However, one year on from their big day, the pair have a crossroads to navigate this summer.

A source told us: “Dani has enjoyed a dream romance with Jarrod so far, made even better that he is the captain of her dad Danny’s beloved West Ham United.

“But part of that dream has turned into a nightmare this season after West Ham crashed out of the Premier League.

“Jarrod is one of the best players at the club, but, as captain, he has to take a lot of responsibility for the Hammers’ downfall.

“Die-hard West Ham fan Danny is absolutely devastated about his side dropping down to the Championship, and it could have major repercussions for the Dyers.

“Jarrod could do no wrong in Danny’s mind three years ago when he effectively won West Ham the Conference League.

“But that moment is a distant memory now.”

Following West Ham’s relegation, Bowen’s future at the club is up in the air.

He is under contract at the London Stadium until 2030, but that doesn’t mean a lot in football.

West Ham could cash in on their star man, and there are fresh concerns from Hammers fans after Bowen was revealed to be a client of a brand-new football super agency – Gersh.

He has been linked to several Premier League clubs in recent months, including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United.

A move to the north west of England would be particularly upsetting for Dani, because it would no doubt mean relocating from their Essex home, which is just down the road from her parents, Danny and wife Joanne Mas.

The source said: “West Ham’s relegation could have a huge impact on Dani, too.

“Jarrod missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad this summer, and manager Thomas Tuchel even suggested West Ham’s poor form could have hampered Jarrod.

“He is desperate to win his place back in the England squad, with a European Championships on home soil scheduled for 2028.

“Jarrod has been heavily linked with a move elsewhere, and he is keen to keep testing himself at the very top.

“But this could be devastating for Dani, because they might have to relocate.

“Danny would also be gutted, because a West Ham with Jarrod has a much better chance of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking than a West Ham without their star man.

“The Rivals star is desperate for Jarrod to remain at West Ham, and he has been dropping hints to Jarrod to stay and help guide his beloved Hammers back to the top flight.”

Danny recently lobbied England boss Tuchel to take Jarrod to the World Cup, telling FourFourTwo his son-in-law “will damage any team” on the pitch.

But the Football Factory star’s plea fell on deaf ears when the England squad was announced on May 22nd – two days before West Ham’s relegation on the final day of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Bowen scored in West Ham’s final game, a resounding 3-0 victory over Leeds, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Hammers up due to Tottenham’s final-day win over Everton.

Following West Ham’s last Premier League match for some time, Bowen was asked about his future, saying in his post-match interview: “I’m under contract here. I’ve been here six-and-a-half years. I’ve had some really high moments, and this is a low moment that will outweigh everything.

“There’s going to be rumours, there’s going to be talk. Ultimately, what I see is getting this club back in the Premier League because that is where it deserves to be.”

A few days ago, he took to Instagram to write a lengthy apology to the West Ham faithful.

Bowen admitted winning the Conference League was the “best night” of his career, but being relegated with West Ham was his “worst”.

While the emotional statement may have provided some solace for die-hard Hammers fans, there was a notable omission.

He didn’t pledge his future to the club, signing off by saying: “One thing I know about this club is that it has the desire and fight to bounce back from this. This club belongs in the Premier League and deserves to be back there as soon as possible.”

But will this desire and fight to return to the top flight happen without their leader, Bowen?

Danny has previously said on his and Dani’s Sorted With the Dyers podcast that West Ham is his “one true love” and he loves the football club “more than anything else on this planet”.

He will be fiercely hoping his son-in-law can lead West Ham to further glory in the future, and while Dani no doubt wants this, too, remaining in Essex is one of her top priorities.

Relocating from Essex might also make it difficult for Dani to shoot more episodes of her and dad Danny’s popular Sky TV show The Dyers’ Caravan Park, which is filmed in Kent.

A source added: “One compromise for Jarrod could be a move to Tottenham, who he has been linked to for years.

“That would be OK for Dani, because Jarrod would still be playing for a London team.

“But it would leave a sour taste in Danny’s mouth, considering Spurs were the team that remained in the Premier League at West Ham’s expense.

“Jarrod has a massive decision on his hands this summer, which will have a huge impact on him on and off the field.” 

The Premier League season reaches its crescendo on Sunday with all 10 matches kicking off simultaneously in a final act packed with jeopardy at the bottom ⁠end of the table and nearer the top in a European race tangled in permutations.

The title has already been decided and four Champions League places have gone to league winners Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa.

So attention now shifts to the ⁠final European berths – and a relegation scrap few would have predicted when the season kicked off.

There is also a good number of big-name farewells. Al Jazeera Sport looks at the five biggest talking points on the final day.

When will Arsenal lift the Premier League trophy?

Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years will result in a trophy lift after the game at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The Gunners’ victory was confirmed on Tuesday when Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth – a result that would have kept the title in the balance on the final day.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted ahead of the trip to Palace that he did not even watch City’s match, instead opting to set up a barbeque in his garden for his family.

His son, Gabriel, part of the Arsenal youth set-up, relayed news of the team’s first title since 2004.

“I was supposed to be at Colney (the training ground), watching the game with the boys and certain staff because that’s what they wanted – but I couldn’t,” Arteta said.

“I think 20 minutes later, before the game, I had to leave. I couldn’t bring the energy that I wanted, and ultimately it was their moment as well to watch it together, to be themselves and just see what the outcome would be.

“My oldest son opened the garden door, he started to run towards me, he started to cry, he gave me a hug and said: ‘We are champions, daddy’.”

Arteta added that winning the trophy after six-and-a-half years at the helm was “one of the best feelings that I have ever had”.

An emotion that will be amplified when the trophy is eventually lifted at Selhurst Park, and elevated even further should his side beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30.

“We’re going to prepare for that game with the intention to win and write a new story in the club’s history,” said Arteta.

Who can be relegated on the final day of the Premier League?

The drama is stark and simple at the bottom: one of the two London clubs will go down – Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham.

Spurs are in the better position, 17th on 38 points, two ahead of West Ham who are 18th and in the third relegation spot. Only one combination of results ‌sends Spurs down: defeat at home to Everton plus a victory for West Ham who host Leeds.

“When you fight for the relegation, you have to stay inside of the league until the last minute of the last game of the season,” Spurs manager Roberto de Zerbi said. “We have to stay alive. It is a big day for us.

“The most important is to keep the dignity, to keep the pride, to go on holiday like this (head up) and not like this (head down).”

Victory for West Ham is essential and even that may not suffice, with their inferior goal difference leaving them reliant on help ⁠from Everton in north London.

Which Premier League clubs can qualify for Europe?

The other major storyline is the battle for the ⁠final one or two Champions League places.

Liverpool are in pole position as they host Brentford, knowing a point will be enough to secure fifth. Bournemouth, who clinched some form of European qualification with their 1-1 draw against Man City on Tuesday, are three points back, but well behind Liverpool in goal difference.

Bournemouth’s ⁠surge has been one of the stories of the season. They arrive at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on a 17-game unbeaten run, their consistency propelling them into sixth and firmly into the ⁠European picture.

The stakes may extend beyond a single Champions League slot. Aston ⁠Villa’s Europa League triumph on Wednesday has created the possibility of a sixth English entrant into next season’s competition, but only if Villa finish fifth in the league. That would require a Liverpool win in what will be talisman Mohamed Salah’s final appearance as a Red at Anfield, and a Villa loss at City, which ‌is expected to be an emotional farewell to manager Pep Guardiola after a trophy-laden decade with the club.

If Villa finish fourth, the extended route closes and sixth drops into the Europa League, the continent’s second-most prestigious club competition. Brighton & Hove Albion, ‌who ‌host Manchester United, remain the most realistic side capable of breaking into sixth – they are three points behind Bournemouth in seventh – while a broader group, including Chelsea, Brentford and Sunderland, are chasing Europa League and Conference League spots in a congested mid-table fight.

Will Salah have a Premier League farewell for Liverpool?

Mohamed Salah will say goodbye to Liverpool on Sunday, but in what manner remains unclear after manager Arne Slot wouldn’t commit to the Egypt star playing against Brentford at Anfield.

Salah, one of the club’s greatest-ever scorers, forced the question with his public criticism of Liverpool’s style of play after a 4-2 loss to Aston Villa last Friday. He called for a return to the “heavy metal attacking” that struck fear in opponents.

The outburst – Salah’s second public rift with Slot this season – adds extra drama as the team is also trying to secure Champions League qualification.

Slot was asked on Friday if Salah will definitely be involved against Brentford.

“I never say anything about team selection,” Slot responded. “It would be a surprise to you if I did this right now, I think”.

In March, 33-year-old Salah announced he’d be leaving at the end of the season after reaching an agreement with the club to end his contract one year early.

Salah’s production has dipped in his ninth year at Anfield to such an extent that he was dropped for a stretch of games late last year — leading to the winger telling reporters that the club “has thrown me under the bus”.

Why is Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City?

“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but ⁠deep inside, I know it’s my time,” Guardiola said in a statement when confirming what City fans had been fearing.

The club’s most successful manager is leaving, bringing to a close a trophy-laden, 10-year spell in which he established City as one of the major forces in Europe and changed the face of English football.

Guardiola, who had a further year left on his City contract, will take charge of his final game in the Premier League against Aston Villa on Sunday.

“Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City,” Guardiola added.

“We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way.”

City said Guardiola would take up a role as global ambassador.

Enzo Maresca – the former Chelsea manager who was previously assistant to Guardiola at City – is the favourite to take on the daunting task of filling Guardiola’s shoes after a decade of unprecedented dominance.

Since joining City in the summer of 2016, Guardiola led the Abu Dhabi-backed team to six Premier League titles and the Champions League for the first time in 2023.

He won 17 major trophies in all, including the domestic double this season of the English League Cup and the FA Cup. He has won 35 major titles across his coaching career including his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

With all the tension and drama that surrounds the play-offs, there is an argument to be made that it is perhaps the best way to win promotion.

Former right-back Tommy Smith, who won the Championship play-off final with Huddersfield Town in 2017 and played in the Premier League for the Terriers, says it is the “jeopardy” which makes it so unique.

“The play-offs do strange things to you. Moments in time. It brings out things in games that you just don’t see in a normal season. There’s a key word in it and that’s jeopardy,” he told BBC’s Football Daily 72+ podcast.

Smith described winning the play-off final as an “unbelievable” and “incredible” feeling that will stay with him for the rest of his life.

“Ultimately I’ve got pictures around my house now, I’ve got the medal to show for it,” he added.

“It’s only afterwards when it sinks in that you actually realise what you’ve achieved. It’s a surreal day and a surreal feeling.”

Lyle Taylor, who won promotion via the play-offs from the Championship, League One and League Two with Nottingham Forest, Charlton and AFC Wimbledon respectively, said it is a “feeling you can’t really describe”.

“It’s strange. I remember walking up there [the Wembley steps] and it hasn’t hit you that you’ve done it,” he said.

“I saw my parents after the finals and the emotion gets you at that point. It’s mad because it’s such a momentous day, it’s such a big part of your life and if you’re lucky enough to do it as a footballer, it’s incredible.”

Richarlison had given Robert de Zerbi’s disappointing side hope, after Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos gave the hosts a deserved two-goal advantage, when Chelsea‘s combative left-back Marc Cucurella unceremoniously dragged Spurs defender Micky van de Ven to the floor.

It came as Mathys Tel prepared to take a corner and Spurs demanded a penalty that never came, their disbelief doubled when Cucurella was cautioned over the incident.

Video assistant referee (VAR) checks detected his foul came seconds, maybe even one second, before the ball came into play, meaning a penalty could not be awarded.

Referee Stuart Attwell could only take action against Cucurella with a yellow card, and once VAR confirmed the ball had not been kicked there was no room to initiate a review and subsequent spot-kick.

Former Chelsea and England striker Daniel Sturridge told Sky Sports: “One second difference and it is a guaranteed penalty. Cucurella is so lucky.”

It was the tightest of calls.

Spurs boss De Zerbi refused to dwell on it, but said the Everton game was arguably “more important” than the club’s Europa League final against Manchester United last season, which they won in Bilbao.

He added: “It is not my business. My business is to focus on preparing the next game and to get the points we need because Sunday is the final for us.

“This game is important, more than playing for a trophy. Last season ended with playing for a trophy. We play for something more important than a trophy because of the pride and history of the club.

“You can win a trophy but it does not change anything. The most important thing is the pride and dignity of the club, so that we can go on holiday, in the Premier League.

“We have to stay alive. Sunday against Everton is a big day for us.”

If Leeds are able to retain their top-flight status, the majority of supporters are likely point to wins against relegation rivals Wolves, Burnley and West Ham as the defining moments of the season.

But Farke is almost certain to share a different view.

The 49-year-old is more likely to point to a 3-2 defeat by Manchester City in late November as the moment his side’s fortunes changed – and the numbers back it up.

After goals from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol put City 2-0 up inside 25 minutes, Leeds were left fearing the worst.

That was until Farke made an almighty roll of the dice, summoning Calvert-Lewin and defender Jaka Bijol from the bench to switch from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2.

It was a tactical switch that allowed Leeds an extra man in midfield and, crucially, offered extra support to summer signing Calvert-Lewin in attack.

Although Leeds saw a point snatched from their grasp when Foden scored a stoppage‑time winner, the performance – and a new tactical blueprint – offered both the club and Farke a road to redemption.

Leeds bounced back from the defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side by taking four points from a possible six against Chelsea and reigning champions Liverpool in the next two games.

“He was under real pressure, there was a lot of talk about his job – other managers were getting touted – and you felt if he lost against Manchester City he would lose his job,” said ex-Liverpool and Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports.

“He didn’t win that game but they changed the system that day, played with a lot of promise and since then they’ve gone on a great run and gone from strength to strength.

“The points they’ve produced since the start of December has been fantastic.”

Since then, Leeds have lost only four out of a possible 19 league games – the ninth-best record in the division.

Consequently, Farke is on course to lead a team to Premier League survival for the first team in his career after failing to do so during his time in charge of Norwich.

Parker took charge of Burnley in July 2024 – signing a three-year contract – and led them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking with a second-place finish in the Championship.

“It has been an immense privilege to lead this great club over the past two years,” said Parker.

“I have enjoyed every moment of our journey together, but feel that now is the right time for both parties to move in a different direction.

“I reflect back with great pride on what we achieved during my time at the club, especially our unforgettable promotion season in 2024-25, and it was a true honour to lead this team into the Premier League.”

While Nottingham Forest struck the first blow of the weekend on Friday, Tottenham and West Ham – unusually – both play at the same time on Saturday.

The Hammers host Everton and former manager David Moyes, with Spurs visiting already relegated Wolves.

Tottenham boss De Zerbi, whose side conceded a last-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 with Brighton in their previous fixture, said “a win can change this part of the season”.

“We are suffering, they are suffering because it is not easy to play in Tottenham in this condition of the table, but I said they have to be stronger,” he added.

“We have to live every part of the day waiting for a win and preparing for a win.”

Tottenham and West Ham have to contend with similar run-ins, with Spurs arguably facing the slightly easier of the two. The average position of the teams they still have to play is 11th, while for the Hammers it is 10th.

What West Ham do have which Tottenham do not, however, is some semblance of form.

Nuno’s team have won two and lost just one of their past five matches. Spurs have not won since last year.

“The players are improving their levels and the standards,” said Nuno. “We have been solid in defence, good in attack… sometimes not so good. Finding that balance in the remaining matches is going to be crucial for us.”

Every year when the fixtures are announced you hear the familiar refrain that “it doesn’t matter, you play everyone twice”.

But there is no doubt that when you face a certain team can make a big difference across a 10-month campaign.

With five games remaining Spurs will definitely think their run-in, at least on paper, gives them every chance of staying up.

Next up is a trip to Wolves, whose relegation to the Championship was confirmed on Monday.

A home match against Leeds on 11 May is another Tottenham will view as an opportunity, especially if Farke’s side have ensured their safety by then.

Even a tricky-looking match at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa on 3 May comes at a good time for Spurs, as it falls between the two legs of the Europa League semi-final for Unai Emery’s men.

A visit to rivals Chelsea before hosting Everton on the final day is not a straightforward way to finish, given both teams seem likely to be fighting for European places.

But, given how tight things are, that is something all the relegation candidates will have to deal with.

West Ham host Everton on Saturday before an away game at Brentford – and it only gets tougher with title-chasing Arsenal the visitors to London Stadium on 10 May.

Even with Newcastle enduring a disappointing season, an away game at St James’ Park on the penultimate weekend is far from simple and there could be plenty riding on the home match against Leeds on the last day.

Forest arguably face the toughest last five with away games at Chelsea and Manchester United in May – the former coming just three days before the second leg of the Reds’ Europa League semi-final against Villa.

Home games against Newcastle and Bournemouth, on the last day, could be crucial but getting a result at Sunderland on Friday would help alleviate a lot of stress for Vitor Pereira’s side before the remainder of the run-in.