Michael Owen: Jarrod Bowen is the Perfect Replacement for Salah

Michael Owen believes Liverpool have already been handed the ideal solution to life after Mohamed Salah – and his answer is standing in the wreckage of West Ham’s relegation.

The former Liverpool striker has thrown his weight behind a move for Jarrod Bowen, describing the Hammers captain as the “absolute perfect” replacement for Salah at Anfield.

Owen’s verdict: ‘He has to be playing in the Premier League’

Owen, speaking on Premier League Productions, didn’t dance around the issue. West Ham’s drop out of the top flight has changed the landscape, and in his eyes it should change Bowen’s too.

“Under normal circumstances, no. But he is such a West Ham lad, he’s the captain, he’s adored by the club, his family are all from the area,” Owen said, acknowledging the depth of Bowen’s connection to the club.

“If there’s any big player that is going to be relegated and stick with it then you can see it.

“However, Jarrod Bowen is incredible, you’ve got a short career, I mean he has to be playing in the Premier League.”

The numbers back up the praise. In a struggling West Ham side, Bowen still delivered nine goals and eleven assists over the campaign, dragging his team forward while the ground gave way beneath them. That output, combined with his work rate and direct threat from the right, has kept him on the radar of elite clubs for several seasons.

Owen has long argued that Liverpool should be one of them.

“I’ve said for a long time, I don’t make any apologies, Mo Salah has gone now from Liverpool, I think Bowen is the absolute perfect replacement for Mo Salah at Liverpool.

“If an opportunity came along for him like that, to play for Liverpool, then even the most ardent West Ham fan couldn’t begrudge that. Instead of playing in the Championship, go to one of the best teams in the world and fill Mo Salah’s boots, it’s really exciting for him.”

The logic is clear. A proven Premier League wide forward, left-footed, comfortable attacking from the right, with the intensity to press and the end product to decide games. For a club recalibrating after the Salah era, Bowen offers familiarity wrapped in fresh energy.

Owen still left a door open for loyalty, but only if the right offer fails to land.

“However, if an opportunity doesn’t come from one of the big boys like that, then maybe he’ll fight his way back into the Premier League with West Ham.”

Bowen’s response: loyalty first, future later

While the outside noise grows, Bowen himself cut a very different figure after West Ham’s relegation was confirmed on Sunday. There was no transfer talk, no angle towards a move – only the rawness of the drop and a clear sense of responsibility.

“Listen, it’s still very, very raw. Talking about futures is disrespectful to the club, the fans, everything like that,” he said when asked about what comes next.

“This club deserves to be in the Premier League. That’s our aim now, this season is done, our aim now is to get back in the Premier League. That’s as simple as it is.”

No hint of agitation. No carefully placed come-and-get-me plea. Just the message of a captain who knows exactly how much the fall has hurt.

He doubled down when pressed again.

“Like I said, it’s disrespectful to everyone to start speaking about futures and saying what’s going to happen.

“Like I said, I want this club to be in the Premier League. It’s a club that means so much to me, that’s given me so much, so my vision is getting this club back in the Premier League.”

That’s the tension at the heart of Bowen’s summer. On one side, a player who has outgrown the Championship and carries the tools to walk into a Champions League-chasing attack. On the other, a captain emotionally welded to a club now staring at away days in the second tier.

Liverpool have been here before: weighing sentiment, value, age profile and tactical fit as they reshape a front line. If they decide Bowen is the man to inherit Salah’s stage, the question won’t be about his quality.

It will be whether West Ham’s captain is ready to trade a promotion fight for the pressure of replacing a legend at Anfield.