FOOTBALL
By Eishna Rawat
Posted on June 3, 2026 4:00 pm | Updated on June 2, 2026 9:39 pm Darren Bent says Jarrod Bowen is a better option than Neto and Garnacho.
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Chelsea had a difficult 2025-26 season. They reached the FA Cup final but finished tenth in the Premier League and sacked three managers. Now, the latest Chelsea transfer news involves the West Ham skipper. According to former England striker Darren Bent, Jarrod Bowen is exactly the player they need.
Darren Bent backs Jarrod Bowen as the answer to Chelsea’s problems
As reported by Chelsea News, Darren Bent made his stance clear on talkSPORT alongside football pundit Rory Jennings. Both agreed that Jarrod Bowen is a better option than Pedro Neto or Alejandro Garnacho out wide. That is a bold claim.
Neto cost the club around £50m and managed just five Premier League goals this season, as per Transfermarkt. Garnacho was even worse; one league goal all season is nowhere near good enough for a club with huge expectations. The wide areas have been a real problem for a while now, and that is why Chelsea transfer news this summer keeps coming back to Bowen.
As reported by Chelsea News, Bent even floated a loan deal if a permanent move proves too difficult. It is a strong endorsement from a former Premier League striker. They need someone who can make things happen out wide, and Bent clearly thinks the West Ham skipper is that person.
Jarrod Bowen brings more than just goals to the table
His value goes well beyond goals and assists. Xabi Alonso can play him on either wing or through the middle. That makes him far more useful than a one-trick winger. The West London club has looked flat and predictable in attack for too long, and he would change that straight away.
Jarrod Bowen for West Ham in 2025/26, as per Fotmob:
Competition Matches Goals Assists
Premier League 38 9 11
FA Cup 3 2 0
EFL Cup 1 0 1
As reported by Sports Mole, over the last three Premier League seasons, he has contributed 38 goals and 27 assists. That is a strong return, and it came at a club that was never competing at the top end of the table. Neither Neto nor Garnacho felt like players who want to fight till the end. And their numbers show that. That gap in output is hard to ignore.
He also brings leadership. As reported by Sports Mole, club officials have raised the lack of leaders in the dressing room as a real worry this summer. Bowen captained West Ham through one of their worst seasons in years. That is not a small thing. A player who keeps performing when everything around him is going wrong is exactly what a club in rebuild needs.
Chelsea transfer news- can a deal actually happen?
As reported by Sports Mole, the Stamford Bridge club are weighing up a formal approach. West Ham want around £50m. But Chelsea and other clubs think they can get a deal done for closer to £40m. Dropping into the Championship means serious money problems for West Ham, and selling Bowen could be one way to ease that pressure.
Liverpool and Manchester United are also watching closely. So Chelsea will need to move fast if they want to win that race. There is real competition here.
There is a complication, though. Bowen has four years left on his deal at West Ham, as per Transfermarkt. He also said publicly that he wants to bring the Hammers straight back up. As reported by FootballTransfers, he called the relegation the lowest point of his time at the club. That loyalty is real. But West Ham’s money problems after going down may end up making the choice for him.
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Eishna Rawat
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