Roy Hodgson has been speaking to the media ahead of Watford’s trip to West Ham this evening, where he mentioned Crystal Palace.
What’s the story?
Well, the 74-year-old revealed that he tried to bring Jarrod Bowen to Crystal Palace before West Ham sealed a £22m deal in January 2020.
As quoted by the Evening Standard, Hodgson said: “We tried desperately to do a deal where we would get him on loan, with maybe a possibility of paying the transfer fee in the summer, when the club was hoping to maybe have some money available.”
Now, that must be devastating for the Crystal Palace fans to hear.
Bowen is now one of the most in-form players in the Premier League, and is being heavily tipped for an England call-up.
Impressively, the 25-year-old has ten goals and ten assists for West Ham in all competitions this season, which is a remarkable tally at this stage of the campaign.
Bowen seems to be getting better and better with every game – that £22m fee now seems like an absolute bargain for the Hammers.
Jarrod Bowen success at West Ham should no longer concern Crystal Palace
The south Londoners must’ve been devastated to see how well Bowen was doing in east London, before July 2021 that is.
In that month, Crystal Palace completed the £8m signing of Michael Olise, a player who – like Bowen – operates out on the right flank, where he cuts in on his left foot.
The 20-year-old has enjoyed a wonderful debut season at Selhurst Park so far, scoring four goals while also providing five assists.
Seeing as Olise is five years younger than Bowen, and cost significantly less than the West Ham forward, you could argue that he was a better signing.
Only time will tell what happens, although the signs so far suggest Olise will become a superstar at Crystal Palace.
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