Simon Jordan admits he’s been won over by Jarrod Bowen, telling talkSPORT (31 August, 10.50am) that he felt the West Ham United forward was ‘useless’ after watching him in action for Hull City.
The gap between the bottom half of the Premier League and the top half of the Championship appears to be getting smaller all the time.
Just look at the way James Maddison, Ollie Watkins, Adam Webster, Che Adams and Adama Traore have adapted to life in the top-flight, justifying their sizeable transfer fees while silencing plenty of doubters along the way.
Bowen, meanwhile, has been a huge hit since joining West Ham from Hull in January 2020.
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when the then-23-year-old forward completed a £20 million move to the London Stadium.
Flash forward to the present day and, with West Ham flying high near the top of the Premier League, you won’t find anyone willing to question the wisdom of such a transfer fee these days.
Is Jarrod Bowen a £20m bargain for West Ham?
“I thought Jarrod Bowen was bloody useless! I went to watch him at Hull and thought; ‘Jesus, don’t buy him’,” says former Crystal Palace owner Jordan.
“And now look at him. He looks like a world-beater!”
With eight goals and five assists during his first full season in claret-and-blue, the scheming, slaloming Bowen played a major role as West Ham finished sixth in the table, just two points shy of Champions League winners Chelsea.
According to The Athletic, Bowen’s rampaging performances on the right-hand side of David Moyes’ attack have caught the eye of Liverpool too although, with the window now closed, West Ham supporters can relax until January.
Either way, you can see why Jurgen Klopp likes the one-time Hereford United youngster; Hard-working, versatile, a creator and taker of chances, Bowen is likely to be the subject of plenty more rumours with Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane all set to turn 30 over the next 13 months.
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