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'Ship has sailed' for West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen to sign for Liverpool and replace Mohamed Salah
Jarrod Bowen is unlikely to be joining Liverpool to replace Mohamed Salah as the West Ham star is too old now, according to Neil Jones.
The Hammers star has started the season in fantastic form, registering four goals and one assist in six appearances in the Premier League this season, and has been tipped to be a target for the Reds if Salah heads to Saudi Arabia in January.
But writing for the Daily Briefing on Substack (27 September), journalist Jones feels the “ship has sailed” on that move because he will be turning 27 in January and Liverpool’s policy is to sign attackers aged 25 or under usually.
“Jarrod Bowen impressed with a goal for West Ham against Liverpool at the weekend, and he is a player Liverpool admire, and have done for some time,” he said.
“He was looked at a couple of years ago, in particular, as a potential signing, and of course as a left-footer who plays on the right, and scores and creates at a decent rate, he’s certainly an option worth considering given the doubts over Mo Salah’s long-term future.
“However, he’ll be 27 in January, and while that’s hardly ancient, I would expect the Reds to be targeting players a little younger, with a little more potential and longevity at the top level. If you look at the age of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Salah and Sadio Mane when they moved to Anfield, they were all 25 or under, and I would expect that policy to continue going forward.
“Bowen is a fine player, and may well have a move to a top-six club in him, but I suspect the ship has sailed as far as Liverpool are concerned.”
Their loss
You won’t find a single West Ham fan complaining if this is the view that Liverpool and their fans want to take about the potential signing of Bowen.
A left-footed right winger who is at the top of his game is very difficult to find, but replacing Mo Salah is going to be an incredibly difficult thing for them to do and Bowen would no doubt be a big candidate for the position.
But West Ham have shown that they won’t be bullied in the transfer market after holding out for £105m for Declan Rice, and refusing to give in to Lucas Paqueta’s wishes to go to Manchester City without getting a fee they deemed adequate.
There’s no doubt that Bowen is capable of making that step up to a Champions League-aspiring club, but the Hammers would ensure they got top dollar for him and Liverpool aren’t exactly stacked for cash.
It’s a non-starter right now because West Ham won’t entertain a sale anyway as it stands, but it’s definitely one to keep an eye on if Salah does end up leaving.
In other West Ham news, Stan Collymore hails “incredible” David Moyes after what he did recently.