Former England goalkeeper Ben Foster has encouraged Liverpool to move for West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen, amid reports that Chelsea are lining up a move for the England star.
The 29-year-old winger is expected to quit the London Stadium this summer following the club’s relegation from the Premier League, as bitter rivals Tottenham just about secured their survival on the final day of the campaign.
Bowen has been nothing short of sensational during his time at West Ham, chalking up an impressive 85 goals and 63 assists in 280 appearances for the Hammers following his £22million move from Hull City in January 2020.
However, he was unable to provide any assurances over his future after the east London outfit dropped into the second tier of English football, with a whole host of clubs now chasing his signature.
Meanwhile, a report from The Independent this week stated that West Ham are now ‘under pressure’ to sell their top asset, who remains under contract until 2030, with Chelsea also emerging at the front of the queue for his services.
The Stamford Bridge outfit are said to have been mulling over a bid ‘for some time’, with incoming Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso a fan of Bowen’s talents.
Foster, however, thinks Liverpool, who are on the brink of appointing Andoni Iraola as their new boss, should be looking at Bowen to soften the blow left by Mohamed Salah’s emotional Anfield exit – especially given the England star’s proven pedigree at Premier League level.
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Foster backs Bowen to be a Liverpool hit
While Foster doubts many Reds fans would have Bowen as a top target for the right-wing spot, he is confident the West Ham man would prove to be a shrewd piece of business on Merseyside.
“I’d love to see him with Liverpool because I think he would do an absolutely fantastic job,” Foster said on the Fozcast podcast.
“He’s tried and tested and you know he’s going to do the job.
“But no, he’s not [going to be a like-for-like Mohamed Salah replacement] and I get the impression Liverpool fans would see it not as a progression, a sideways step.
“They want the £90m player that plays for Inter Milan who is up and coming, who is Brazilian, who is this and that. That’s what they want.
As for the suggestion that Bowen would score 15 league goals a season if he signed for Liverpool, Foster replied: “Agreed, totally agree. There are all sorts of players getting linked now, the merry-go-round has just started in fairness.”
Meanwhile, another Hammers star, Mateus Fernandes, has been given the green light to leave the club this summer, with Liverpool and Man Utd poised for a transfer battle for the midfielder’s services.