Liverpool told flawless Mo Salah replacement is there for the taking, with Reds to ‘exploit’ one major attribute
Jurgen Klopp celebrates Liverpool victory
Jarrod Bowen has received glowing praise from one former Premier League striker, with the West Ham ace named ‘the claret and blue Mo Salah’ amid rumours he could end up becoming the new Liverpool talisman.
Liverpool may soon be forced into the market for a new right winger. Salah has been incredible for them since moving to Anfield in 2017, having netted a stunning 198 goals in 322 games. However, Salah is known to be the top target for Saudi Pro League chiefs as they look to take the division to the next level.
Al Ittihad submitted a colossal £150million bid for the Egyptian in the summer, but this was knocked back by Liverpool. There was talk of a mind-blowing second offer worth £215m, though this never arrived.
Liverpool certainly made the right decision when opting to keep Salah, as he is once again their main source of goals this season. So far, Salah has found the back of the net 12 times in 17 games across all competitions.
But Liverpool are expected to receive another approach for the 31-year-old come the end of the season, with Al Ittihad determined to take him to the Middle East.
There are now growing rumours Salah might snub Al Ittihad once again and extend his Liverpool contract beyond June 2025.
Despite that positive update, Liverpool officials need to be prepared in case Salah does depart, as they will need an elite forward to come in and replace him pretty much straight away.
Bayern ace Leroy Sane, Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi, Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford and PSV’s Johan Bakayoko have all been named as potential successors.
Jarrod Bowen receives huge praise amid Liverpool rumours
But former Chelsea and Aston Villa striker Tony Cascarino has explained why West Ham attacker Bowen is actually the best fit for the role.
The Englishman ‘is not far behind Salah’, and his prospective new Liverpool team-mates would be able to ‘exploit’ the fact he can keep multiple defenders busy at once.
“I think they’ve got the claret and blue Mo Salah in Jarrod Bowen,” Cascarino said during an appearance on The Game podcast.
“He’s just one of them players who will get goals. He’ll run all day.
“Obviously, Mo Salah is at an unbelievable level but he [Bowen] isn’t far behind him for his tenacity, his drive to get goals. He creates problems for other players to exploit.”
With nine goals from 16 games this term, Bowen is not quite on Salah’s level in terms of goalscoring. However, he is already used to running the show for West Ham, and this would stand him in good stead for becoming Liverpool’s talisman.
Bowen’s stats this season are great, too. Not only is he West Ham’s top scorer, but he is also their best-performing player, with WhoScored giving him an average rating of 7.34.
Bowen tops the West Ham chart when it comes to shots per game (2.8), while he is also joint-top with Lucas Paqueta for dribbles per game (1.6 each).
The former Hull City man would clearly be a great option if Liverpool do find themselves without Salah. The only trouble is that they would have to spend big money to strike an agreement, as West Ham have managed to extend Bowen’s contract until June 2030.
