Sports
Liverpool told to raid relegation contender for Mohamed Salah replacement
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has suggested that West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen would be the perfect replacement for Mohamed Salah.
After the Egyptian announced he would leave Merseyside this summer, the Reds are tasked with replacing a player who has been utterly dominant on the right-hand side.
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Liverpool will not receive a penny for the departure of their legendary forward, as he is set to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Arne Slot spent £446million last summer, the highest of any Premier League club in a single window, but the team has struggled to gel after being crowned champions in the previous campaign.
The Reds have been one of the worst title defenders in history, sitting with 24 points fewer after 35 games compared to last year.
First port of call
Owen spoke on talkSPORT Breakfast on Wednesday morning regarding how the club needs to address the upcoming window and said: “They are going to have to do only a little bit of surgery on the team; they have spent a fortune [last year].
“I know they recouped a lot of money last year, but they spent a lot of it, and I doubt they have any left to spend it again. But they are going to have to replace Salah, that’s the first port of call.
“There’s no one in the team currently who is like Salah, a right-sided attacker. There are options in different positions with [Alexander] Isak and [Hugo] Ekitike, but they have injuries they’re working through.
“You have Rio Ngumoha who’s trying to break through into the team, then there’s [Cody] Gakpo and [Florian] Wirtz. There are plenty of options going forward but none on the right side.”
Shebahn Aherne asked whether the former Ballon d’Or winner would consider the prospect of Jarrod Bowen wearing Liverpool red.
Bowen on the Kop?
He replied: “How did you know? I told a couple of my mates yesterday that he’s the one player I would sign. Obviously he’s a legend of a player, West Ham adore the man, and rightly so, but if they go down, he would be the right fit for Liverpool.
“I think he’s absolutely brilliant. I was lucky enough to do a striker masterclass for a TV show with him last season and I couldn’t believe how good he was with both feet, taking corners, his pace and he’s a top finisher.
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“He’s a brilliant player who I would take to the World Cup. I don’t want to upset West Ham fans but if they go down, he would be my ideal choice to replace Salah.”
talkSPORT currently understands that Bowen is willing to stay loyal and stick with West Ham… if they beat the drop.
Chief football correspondent Alex Crook has noted that Liverpool are interested in the right winger; however, Dani Dyer, Bowen’s wife, is hesitant to push for a move away from the capital.
Fan opinion
On talkSPORT’s Inside Liverpool show, they also agreed that they may not have the funds for their prime targets.
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Sam Ellard noted: “Slot is still going to need some more money, isn’t he? I’m fascinated to know what will happen in terms of the recruitment this summer. We had a big summer last summer, but we experienced a couple of seasons of not spending big.”
“Because you kind of go through the team and you think, we need a new right back, possibly a centre-half, possibly two midfielders and certainly a six. We’ve got Mo Salah leaving the football club. That’s like five or six new players.
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“I’d love to have a summer where you get your Fabinho’s for £30m, your Sadio Mane and [Roberto] Firmino’s for £30m each. That would be brilliant, but it’s not that simple in 2026.”
Despite being champions less than a year ago, it has become difficult to define the club’s current identity.
While the Anfield faithful were licking their lips at their new signings last year, many argue the recruits have been weak and made small impressions.
The investment from FSG was supposed to future-proof the post-Klopp era, but instead, it has been a combination of injuries, record-breaking price tags, and inconsistent performances which have left the Dutchman’s squad disjointed and fragile.
Ex-player Jermaine Pennant added: “I don’t think we’re going to have that massive budget. We’ve got two good defenders coming back, which is a blessing. We’ll have Conor Bradley coming back as well, which is great news as well for next season.
“We’ve got to give them money because the same Slot system is not going to work.
“So with the group that we’ve got, I personally believe that a new style, the ‘old Liverpool way’, would get a better tune out of these players and better performances and better results.”