Premier League strugglers West Ham United took a big risk when they spent £22m on Hull City’s Championship star Jarrod Bowen.
Dean Ashton has described Jarrod Bowen as his ‘favourite West Ham signing’ for years, in quotes reported by the club’s official website.
Two years after The Hammers were left red-faced by the ill-fated move to bring Jordan Hugill to the London Stadium, another exciting Championship forward was snapped up by the perennial Premier League underachievers
Bowen has already scored more goals than Hugill managed in claret and blue, however, repaying a fraction of his £22 million transfer fee with a superb performance in West Ham’s 3-1 victory over Southampton in late February.
And former Hammers striker Ashton is thrilled to see his old employers take a punt on a player who found the net at a remarkable rate for Hull City in the Championship.
“For me, he’s probably my favourite West Ham signing for as long as I can remember, to be honest,” Ashton said.
“I know what it’s like to have been there and the hunger he has shown over the last two or three seasons for Hull, who were not exactly a team challenging for the title, and to score the amount of goals he did from a wide area, with the ability he’s got, it was obvious to me that he could do it in the Premier League.
“I’m glad West Ham took a chance on him, and I think there is plenty more development in him as well. He can make a difference and he’s done that in the games he has played so far.”
At 23, Bowen has plenty of time on his side and potential by the bucketload.
And this makes a welcome change for a West Ham side who have wasted vast sums in recent years on overpriced veterans, a la Alvaro Arbeloa, Jose Fonte, Patrice Evra and arguably even Javier Hernandez.
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