By Daniel Feliciano

10th Jun, 2022 | 2:10pm

Paul Merson praises West Ham United ace Jarrod Bowen as 'underrated', tips him for Liverpool transfer

Paul Merson believes West Ham ace Jarrod Bowen remains underrated despite making his England debut, and has tipped him for a “big bucks” move to Liverpool.

The Hammers winger was one of the stand-out performers in the 2021/22 season as West Ham finished 7th and made the Europa League semi-finals, finishing as the top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions.

That form earned him his first England call-up and he made his debut in the defeat against Hungary earlier this month, but Merson told SportsKeeda [June 10] that he is still underrated and believes he would be a great option for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

“Jarrod Bowen is someone who got recognition on the grandest stage recently as he made his England debut, but I still believe he’s underrated,” he said.

“He’s an outstanding player and has gone from strength to strength since swapping Hull City for West Ham – I can’t believe it took so much time for Gareth Southgate to call him up!

“When West Ham have a big game coming up, he’s a player – along with Declan Rice – who gets rested and that just shows how much he’s grown in stature. Come to think of it, he reminds me of a forward version of James Milner – reliable, honest and works his socks off for the team.

“He’s been linked with a move to Liverpool and at the moment, I think he’d be a great squad player for them. He won’t go in there and take someone’s spot immediately, but Liverpool play a lot of games and their brand of football is intense, so he’ll have plenty of game time under his belt.”

Merson also praised Hammers boss David Moyes for the job he’s done at the London Stadium, claiming he has improved every player he gets his hands on.

“He improves pretty much every player he takes on, that’s the main thing,” he said.

“Declan Rice is a £100 million player now, while Jarrod Bowen is an England international and could cost the big bucks if and when they decide to cash in on him.”

The best

There is no shock that Bowen’s fine season has seen him linked with a move away from the club, but the Hammers are in a great place and Bowen is the best attacker at the club.

He had his best season in terms of goals and assists last season but his all-round general play has greatly improved too, with his runs in behind, his touch and his movement far better than in previous seasons.

He has become one of the first names on the team sheet at the club and it would take huge amounts of money to convince West Ham to even consider letting him leave.

However the player is also far too good to just be an option somewhere. Liverpool currently have Mohamed Salah occupying that right wing position and Bowen would be forced to play second fiddle.

A move isn’t on the cards, but it’s clear that his best option is to stick in east London and continue developing and progressing.

In other West Ham news, £34.1m deal hits stumbling block as agreement yet to be reached

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