Michael Owen Calls Jarrod Bowen 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 a relegated West Ham side.

The former Liverpool striker has called Jarrod Bowen the “absolute perfect” replacement for Salah, arguing that the England international cannot afford to spend his prime years outside the Premier League after West Ham’s drop.

Owen’s verdict: “Fill Mo Salah’s boots”

Owen, speaking on Premier League Productions, did not hide his admiration for Bowen or his conviction that Liverpool should act.

“Jarrod Bowen is incredible, you’ve got a short career, I mean he has to be playing in the Premier League,” Owen said, before nailing his colours to the mast over Liverpool’s next step in attack.

“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.”

It is not a new admiration. Jurgen Klopp, during his time at Anfield, was a known admirer of Bowen, who has been linked on and off with Liverpool over recent seasons. The difference now is context: West Ham are down, and their captain suddenly looks like one of the standout bargains of the summer if a big club decides to test the waters.

Bowen’s numbers this season only strengthen Owen’s argument. In a struggling side, he still produced nine goals and eleven assists, a level of end product that kept West Ham flickering long after their form had deserted them.

Loyalty, identity… and a brutal reality

Owen did acknowledge the emotional pull that might keep Bowen in claret and blue.

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

The bond is real. Bowen has become the face of West Ham’s modern era, a symbol of the club’s graft and ambition. Yet relegation changes the landscape. For a 27-year-old England international in his prime, the Championship is a hard sell when the Premier League – and potentially the Champions League – is calling.

So Owen drew a clear line. If a “big boy” comes, especially Liverpool, the decision almost writes itself. If not, he can see Bowen trying to drag West Ham straight back up.

“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,” Owen added.

Bowen’s response: “My vision is getting this club back”

For now, Bowen is not entertaining the idea of walking away. Not publicly, at least.

Speaking after West Ham’s relegation was confirmed on Sunday, the captain bristled at the idea of discussing his future in the immediate aftermath of the drop.

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

“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.”

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,” Bowen continued. “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.”

The message is clear: in public, at least, there will be no transfer agitation, no farewell tour. Bowen’s stance leans heavily into loyalty and responsibility, the language of a captain who knows how much the club leans on him.

Liverpool’s question – and Bowen’s crossroads

For Liverpool, the equation is brutally simple. Salah has gone. A right-sided forward who scores, creates, presses and understands the Premier League is on the market, or at least within reach if they decide to push.

For Bowen, the summer will test where loyalty ends and ambition begins. Does he stay to try to haul West Ham back to where he insists they belong, or does he accept the kind of offer Owen describes – one that might never come again?

Somewhere between Anfield’s need and West Ham’s pain lies the answer to how high Bowen’s next step will be.