Antony OUT, Bowen IN: West Ham star is Man Utd's right-wing saviour

Sam McGuire

• Updated: 10 Apr 2024 14:54 BST
• 5 min read

Jarrod Bowen is going a little under the radar this season.

The West Ham United attacker has more goals than Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, the same number of goals as Alexander Isak and Heung-Min Son while Cole Palmer (16), Dominic Solanke (16), Mohamed Salah (17), Ollie Watkins (18) and Erling Haaland (19) are the only players to have found the back of the net on more occasions than the 27-year-old this term.

Furthermore, penalties have boosted the returns of Haaland (three), Salah (five), Solanke (one) and Palmer (eight).

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals

Bowen is having the best campaign of his career to date with 15 goals in the English top flight. Prior to this season, his best for the Hammers was 12 and he’d netted double figures just once in the three full seasons since his switch from Hull City.

Many weren’t even sure Bowen was even capable of these sorts of numbers. Up until this point, his 2021/22 season was the exception rather than the norm in terms of output. Yet he’s one of the key reasons that West Ham find themselves in seventh position in the Premier League, just a point behind sixth-placed Manchester United. He also helped fire them into the Europa League quarter-finals, with a match against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen to look forward to.

He’s notched five goals and four assists in his last nine outings for the Hammers across all competitions.

READ MORE: Premier League top scorers 2023/24

This form won’t have gone unnoticed by clubs though.

He may have only signed a new long-term contract in October, penning a deal to keep him with the Hammers until 2030, but a move could still be on the cards this summer.

Bowen is enjoying his time with West Ham, and he said as much after signing the new deal: “I’m so pleased to have signed a new long-term contract at West Ham. Everyone knows what this Club means to me, so committing my future until 2030 means so much to me and my family.

“I’ve loved every minute of my time here. Winning the Europa Conference League in Prague was an amazing moment, scoring the winner in the last minute will be something I’ll cherish forever.”

But his love for the club could be outweighed by his desire to become an England regular, and that is something to remember. If he’s going to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s plans, he is going to be wanting to play European football. If West Ham can’t offer that, another club might be able to and his head could well be turned. The new deal just ensures West Ham receive top money for a player they paid £22million for in January 2020.

Bowen has been perpetually linked with a move to Liverpool over the years but this could well be the summer that everything falls into place for him. With Michael Edwards returning and Jurgen Klopp departing, there could be changes throughout the squad. Mohamed Salah will be into the final 12 months of his contract at Anfield and reports suggest the Saudi Pro League are still keen to make him a marquee signing. He may not fancy being part of a transitional period for the Reds, not at his age, so a move could be on the cards.

This would open up a space for Bowen within the Liverpool squad. He’s a little older than the normal profile targeted by the Reds but they will need someone with experience to come in and alleviate some of the attacking burden if someone as dominant and influential as Salah does depart. And if this is the case, the Merseyside club will have a lot of money to throw around, making a big-money move for Bowen not quite as scary as it initially may have been.

Manchester United may also be in the market for an attacker. With Jadon Sancho looking likely to depart on a full-time basis and Antony failing to really deliver following his move from Ajax, the Red Devils need a reliable goal threat on the right-side of their attack and Bowen would certainly tick that box. INEOS are believed to want to bring in players with a hunger and a desire to improve themselves as well as the team and, again, the West Ham No20 would tick that box.

He would be a smart signing for Man Utd, one that would suggest they are set for a new era. It wouldn’t necessarily be an era-defining deal, but he could be an important piece of the puzzle.

It could be the ideal time for Bowen to make that step up and he’s going to be a sought-after player in the current market.