Jarrod Bowen’s name keeps surfacing whenever discussions around life after Mohamed Salah take place.
Bowen, who has been named on a seven-man Liverpool shortlist this week, is productive, proven in the Premier League and already looks comfortable carrying the attacking burden for West Ham.
With Salah leaving at the end of 2025/26, fans know the club will need goals from somewhere, but Jamie Carragher thinks that the Hammers ace is ‘too old’ for Arne Slot’s side.
Which players should Liverpool target to replace Mohamed Salah this summer? 🤔
A seven-man shortlist has already been reported:
Desire Doue
Bradley Barcola
Nico Williams
Yan Diomande
Anthony Gordon
Jarrod Bowen
Michael Olise
Mohamed Salah warms up ahead of Liverpool's Premier League match against West Ham United at the London Stadium
Credit: Izzy Poles/AMA/Getty Images
Jamie Carragher says Jarrod Bowen too old for Liverpool
When speaking about the West Ham captain potentially coming in to replace the departing Salah during the latest episode of Stick To Football, the Merseyside outfit legend said: “No, he [Bowen] was maybe on Liverpool’s radar under Jurgen Klopp early on. But obviously Mo Salah was already there. But no, he’d be too old for Liverpool.”
That is blunt, but it also fits the way Liverpool have tended to think in the market when planning major squad changes.
The club have repeatedly looked for players who can grow into the role over several seasons, rather than arriving with their peak years already in motion, as we have seen recently with the addition of Jeremy Jacquet.
Bowen has still built a very strong case for admirers, because he scores goals, works relentlessly and understands the demands of English football.
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The Reds could do far worse than a forward with his end product, yet Carragher’s point is that replacing Salah is not only about numbers, it is about timing within a squad rebuild.
That makes this one feel difficult for the Merseyside outfit, especially when the Egyptian’s departure at the end of 2025/26 will push the club towards a long-term solution on the right flank.
The Englishman may have been on the radar earlier in Klopp’s reign, but Carragher’s verdict suggests Liverpool may now see the age profile as the deal-breaker.
The former Reds boss once said that, barring his own stars, Bowen was his ‘favourite player’.
But that was back in 2023, and the versatile winger will now turn 30 later this year and might only have a few years left at the very top of his game.
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