Liverpool's No-Risk Solution for Salah's Exit: Jarrod Bowen
Mohamed Salah is walking out of Anfield on a free transfer this summer. Nine years, 257 goals, four Premier League Golden Boots – and a hole on Liverpool’s right flank that will define Arne Slot’s first transfer window.
Into that gap, Danny Murphy has thrown a familiar Premier League name: Jarrod Bowen.
Bowen after the fall
West Ham’s relegation after 14 seasons in the top flight has changed everything in east London. Bowen, their captain and talisman, signed a long-term contract and still has four years left on it, but the numbers tell their own story: nine goals and 11 assists in 38 league games, and still the Hammers dropped.
Relegation usually means hard choices. It can also mean opportunity.
At 29, Bowen is not the archetypal Liverpool signing. He sits outside the usual Anfield recruitment template of mid‑20s upside and resale value. Yet Murphy believes that’s exactly why he could become one of the bargains of the window.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s Kick Off, the former Liverpool midfielder made his stance clear: he would not complain in the slightest if Bowen walked into the home dressing room at Anfield.
“He’s got goals in him. He’s got assists in him, he’s durable. I think he’s good enough,” Murphy argued, before turning to the numbers that really interest recruitment departments: the fee.
With West Ham now in the Championship, Murphy suggested Liverpool could strike at around £20–30 million, and possibly at the lower end of that range if Bowen pushes to leave and the club look to move his wages off the books. At that price, Murphy called it “no risk”.
Salah’s shadow
Replacing Salah is not just about filling a position. It is about stepping into the shadow of one of the Premier League’s greatest forwards.
Salah leaves Liverpool with 193 Premier League goals, the fourth-highest total in the competition’s history. His No.11 shirt has become iconic, a symbol of a team that scaled Europe and England under Jürgen Klopp.
Would Bowen be asked to wear it?
Murphy would tread carefully there. He wouldn’t impose the number on the West Ham captain, though he’d have no issue if Bowen specifically wanted it. The message is clear: Liverpool must move on from Salah, but they cannot simply drop the weight of his legacy onto the next right winger and expect the same output.
“He’s not going to get Salah’s numbers, they’re just ridiculous,” Murphy admitted, but he stressed that Bowen is “tried and tested every year in the Premier League” – a known quantity in a league where adaptation can break even elite talents.
Liverpool’s wider transfer puzzle
Slot inherits a squad that finished fifth and fell short of the title race. The rebuild will not be limited to the right wing.
Liverpool are preparing for a busy summer, with plans to add either two wingers or a combination of one wide forward and a more versatile attacker. Bowen is one route: proven, relatively affordable, and immediately available from a relegated club.
The other route is far more expensive.
Ivorian winger Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig has emerged as Liverpool’s leading target, with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United also circling. Leipzig value him at around £86 million, a fee that would plant him firmly in the “Salah heir” bracket rather than the “no-risk” category.
Bradley Barcola and Anthony Gordon are also on Liverpool’s radar, names that fit more neatly into the club’s traditional age and resale profile but will not come cheaply in a market already inflating.
Murphy’s point slices through the noise: Liverpool have several areas to address, not just Salah’s old territory on the right. A cut‑price move for Bowen would tick off one major task and free up funds for the rest of the rebuild.
The question now is simple and brutal. Do Liverpool chase the next superstar at £80m-plus, or do they trust a battle-hardened Premier League captain at a fraction of the cost to help carry them into the post‑Salah era?
