Jarrod Bowen subject of absurd new Spurs and Liverpool claim but he does have real West Ham concerns

A fresh and frankly absurd claim has linked West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen with Spurs and Liverpool again, but beneath the wild speculation, he does have genuine concerns.

• Hammers News exclusive

If West Ham fans haven’t realised already, this is going to be a summer filled with speculation over the future of captain Jarrod Bowen.

And it appears much of it will centre around bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Premier League champions Liverpool.

It has long been claimed Liverpool want West Ham star Bowen as Mo Salah’s heir.

Especially when Jurgen Klopp was Reds manager, after he came out and stated Hammers skipper Bowen was his favourite player outside of Liverpool.

Despite Salah signing a new deal, speculation continues to link Bowen with a move to Anfield.

Tottenham have also once again been linked with West Ham’s top scorer in recent weeks too – after reportedly contacting the Hammers board about a move last summer.

West Ham issued an emphatic response to claims Liverpool still want Bowen this summer – but admitted sales will be required due to PSR.

Summer of Bowen speculation seems inevitable for Hammers

“It’s true we have to sell to buy due to PSR, like many other clubs,” the spokesman for West Ham’s owners exclusively told Hammers News.

“Let me make this perfectly clear.

“Jarrod is on a long contract and he is not for sale.”

The Hammers told Spurs Bowen would cost them £150m when they had the temerity to ask last summer.

West Ham have since reiterated Bowen is not for sale after Tottenham were reportedly planning to try and take advantage of the club’s poor financial position.

West Ham have proved with the sale of Declan Rice – and many other top-performing stars before him – that they will sell their best players at the right price.

Every player has their price at most clubs. So there is not necessarily anything unusual about that.

Now Bowen is the subject of an absurd new Spurs and Liverpool claim but he does have real West Ham concerns.

A bumper summer transfer window will essentially be open for three months – bar a six-day spell mid-June – due to the FIFA Club World Cup.

It opens for international and domestic deals on June 1 – that’s just over four weeks away.

Caught Offside has claimed in an exclusive that Liverpool and Spurs are expected to submit £50m bids for Bowen imminently.

The report states ‘it will be interesting to see if Liverpool or Tottenham can tempt Bowen’.

The inference is that Spurs, like Liverpool, could end up being able to offer Champions League football to the England attacker.

Bowen subject of absurd new Spurs and Liverpool claim

In an exclusive response, West Ham have reiterated Bowen is not for sale to Hammers News.

Graham Potter was awkward when asked directly about interest from Spurs, Liverpool and others in Bowen ahead of the defeat at Brighton.

But Potter did state he wants Bowen to stay at West Ham for the rest of his career – and you can’t get anymore emphatic than that.

It is also the same thing Bowen said he wanted himself when signing a new seven-year deal back in 2023.

So the laughable claims of incoming £50m offers from the Reds and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy are being treated with the disdain they deserve by West Ham’s hierarchy.

However, football correspondent Graeme Bailey has claimed Bowen does have genuine concerns over the direction West Ham are heading in.

Bowen does have real West Ham concerns

Bailey has exclusively told Hammers News that, as captain, Bowen is worried by how things are going under Potter so far.

And understandably he wants reassurances the Hammers are ambitious to be back fighting at the right end of the Premier League table.

“West Ham have looked dreadful since Potter took charge, I am told there are concerns within the club by what they have seen… and that has worked its way into the squad,” former Sky Sports journalist Bailey told Hammers News.

“They will see a major sale this summer and that looks like Mohammed Kudus, he is not too happy and they we have seen that with his form.

“But I am told that others, including Bowen, are worried about he current situation – it is not looking good.

“West Ham, like others, have really had a free pass this season with the woeful bottom three, the chance are the promoted sides this time around will not be as poor.”

It’s good to hear Bowen shares the concerns of fans.

Supporters will want to see their talisman applying pressure to the West Ham board to make sure the club is pushing to get back challenging for Europe.

It comes after Bowen brutally told Potter some players have no future at West Ham following the ‘sickening’ collapse at to Brighton.

Better than Calvert-Lewin: West Ham make contact over “phenomenal” £12m ace

It is a big summer for West Ham United, who will need to ratify the misgivings of the 2024/25 campaign. The Hammers have been largely disappointing this term, sitting 17th in the Premier League, and although they are safe from relegation, their 36 points are certainly underwhelming.

Having had two managers this season, with Graham Potter currently in charge, things have certainly not been easy at the London Stadium. However, West Ham’s tally of just nine wins so far, alongside 16 losses, is hugely disappointing. There have only been four teams that have won fewer games, and three of those have been relegated.

Now, with the summer transfer window around the corner, West Ham have already been linked with one striker who can solve their attacking problems.

West Ham’s new striker target

One of the most impressive clubs in Ligue 1 this season has been Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg. They have reached seventh in the table and are pushing for European football. Unsurprisingly, clubs around Europe have been put on high alert for some of their stars, with striker Emanuel Emegha a wanted man.

According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey, the Hammers are one of the sides who could make a move for Emegha this summer. They are thought to have made contact after lodging an enquiry about the 22-year-old’s availability.

However, they are not alone in the chase for the Dutchman. Chelsea, who are the sister club of Strasbourg, are in the race, as are Premier League rivals Everton, Brentford and Fulham.

The report suggests Emegha will be available for just £12m this summer.

Why Emegha would be a good signing

Emegha has been one of the standout players for Strasbourg in their really strong campaign so far. They are within two points of a Champions League finish, and he will be crucial to helping them qualify for Europe’s premium club competition.

Emegha has managed 14 goals in 26 games in Ligue 1 this season. The Dutchman, who has played for his country as high as under-21 level, has also grabbed three assists this term. He has played 2217 minutes so far, and averages a goal involvement every 130 minutes.

One of the standout things about Emegha is the consistency with which he scores. His longest goal drought in Ligue 1 this season is five games, which came on either side of a five-game layover due to a knee injury. As football talent scout Jacek Kulig said, he is “phenomenal”.

Should the Hammers look to sign Emegha this summer, he could be the perfect alternative to another reported target, Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The East London side have ‘registered their interest’ in the Everton striker, according to Caught Offside.

However, despite the talent he possesses, the 28-year-old England international can struggle with injuries at times. Calvert-Lewin has had 16 separate injuries in his Toffees career since the start of the 2016/17 campaign.

It has also been a tough season in front of goal for the Sheffield-born striker. He has managed just three goals in 22 Premier League games, although has proven he can find the back of the net, with 57 top-flight goals in his career.

With that being said, it seems a risk to bring him into the London Stadium, given the injury record on show. Indeed, the FBref stats suggest that Emegha might be the better signing for West Ham this summer.

For example, the Dutchman averages 0.4 goals per shot on target and 0.73 key passes per 90 minutes. In comparison, Calvert-Lewin averages 0.18 goals per shot on target and 0.4 key passes each game.

Indeed, £12m does seem like a bargain for someone as consistent as Emegha. He is a genuine goalscorer, which the Hammers have had issues with this season; they have found the back of the net just 39 times in the Premier League.

This is a deal that West Ham can’t miss out on. They would be able to bring a proven goalscorer into the club and add necessary depth up front.