West Ham: 53-year-old manager spoke to Bowen amid exit links at London Stadium
West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen has held discussions to decipher whether he needs to leave the Hammers
West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen is ‘content’ at the London Stadium after a conversation with England boss Gareth Southgate over his Euro 2024 hopes has emerged, journalist Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT cum Soccer4u.
The winger was overlooked for the Three Lions’ clashes against Ukraine and Scotland during this month’s international break despite making a promising start to the season with David Moyes’ Hammers.
West Ham transfer news – Jarrod Bowen
West Ham may face a battle to hold onto Bowen in the coming months as, according to The Athletic, Liverpool have admired him for a prolonged period and a move to Anfield cannot be ruled out amid the uncertainty over Mohamed Salah’s future.
The report suggests the four-cap England international, who has been on the east Londoners’ books since sealing a £22million move from Championship side Hull City three-and-a-half years ago, has been scouted for a number of years by the Merseyside giants.
Newcastle United also added Bowen to their shortlist of targets before the summer transfer window opened for business as they made preparations ahead of Champions League action returning to Tyneside, but a switch to St James’ Park failed to come to fruition.
With the 26-year-old’s £60,000-per-week contract being due to expire in the summer of 2025, West Ham are not in a particularly strong negotiating position and may be forced to cash in ahead of next season if they want to avoid potentially seeing him walk away as a free agent.
Although that could allow Liverpool or Newcastle to pounce, it is understood that the Hammers are making progress in their attempts to tie Bowen down to fresh terms, although there is still a gap between both parties over wages.
What has Ben Jacobs said about Bowen?
Jacobs is not expecting Bowen to push for a move away from West Ham when the transfer window reopens at the turn of the year, particularly as England boss Gareth Southgate, 53, has insisted that remaining in the capital will not hinder his chances of breaking into the squad for Euro 2024.
But the respected journalist has warned that seeing James Maddison profit on the international scene since his £40million move from Leicester City to Tottenham Hotspur could result in the ex-Hereford United man feeling a switch may eventually be the best option as he seeks more appearances for the Three Lions.
Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT:
“I think that the Bowen situation won’t really be urgent as far as England are concerned, simply because of cycles and I don’t see Jarrod Bowen going in January. Obviously, because Euro 2024 is next summer, were Bowen to go in a year’s time, the ship will have sailed as far as moving to a bigger club to play specifically in a team where he can alert Gareth Southgate more and put himself in contention for Euro 2024 is concerned. Bowen is obviously content enough that he stands a chance, just by being at West Ham, to fight and get into the mix for Euro 2024. Otherwise, he would have probably pushed a little bit harder to go last summer, so I don’t think England’s a factor in this. From what I’m told, Bowen has been told by Southgate that staying at West Ham won’t impact anything as far as Euro 2024 is concerned. But, of course, Maddison was told that when he was at Leicester. Even though he made the England squad for the last World Cup, although he was injured and that might have been a key factor, his opportunities were still more limited at Leicester compared to now going forward at Spurs. That might be at the back of Bowen’s mind as well.
Why Bowen deserves Euro 2024 spot on current form
Bowen went into West Ham’s clash with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday having already found the back of the net three times, according to Transfermarkt, and provided an assist during the opening four matches of the season.
It has taken the wide-man’s tally up to 75 goal contributions in 162 outings in a Hammers shirt, having built on claiming the winner as Moyes’ side overcame Italian outfit Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final to end the club’s lengthy wait for silverware.
Statistics show that, heading into the latest matchweek, Bowen had been more potent than Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Manchester City academy product Phil Foden and Crystal Palace talisman Eberechi Eze, who were all included in the most recent England squad, highlighting that he should be in the forefront of Southgate’s plans based on current form.
Bowen went into West Ham’s meeting with Manchester City having averaged a Premier League goal every 120 minutes this term, emphasising his prowess in the final third of the pitch and why Southgate ought to be including him in his Euro 2024 plans.
