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Football London
Football London
Sport
Mark Wyatt

Arsenal 'make contact' with West Ham over Jarrod Bowen transfer amid Hammers contract talks

West Ham fans are on red alert this week after Arsenal reportedly reached out to the Hammers over the potential signing of Jarrod Bowen.

The 25-year-old enjoyed a brilliant season in claret and blue last term, scoring 18 goals and registering 13 assists in 51 games for David Moyes’ side. Bowen’s form also earned him his first call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England side where he made his debut earlier this month playing 90 minutes against Hungary in the UEFA Nations League.

West Ham are currently busy trying to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2022/23 season with Moyes hoping to boost his attack and find more support for striker Michail Antonio. The Hammers have been linked with moves for Chelsea’s Armando Broja and Leeds ace Raphinha, though losing Bowen to a rival club like Arsenal - as The Beautiful Game Podcast are suggesting could happen after suggesting the Gunners had 'made contact' with West Ham - would not help matters even if the Englishman could command a sizable transfer fee.

READ MORE: West Ham fans all saying the same thing as Mark Noble returns to London Stadium for Soccer Aid

The forward has gone from strength to strength since arriving in east London in January 2020 from Hill City for an initial £18million on a five-year contract. He played an integral role as West Ham qualified for the Europa League in his first season with the club before helping them reach the competition’s semi-finals last term and qualify for the Europa Conference League via a seventh-place Premier League finish.

Given his importance to Moyes’ side, it’s highly unlikely that West Ham would sanction a move for one of their best players to move to the Gunners, especially as Mikel Arteta’s side have been directly competing with the Hammers over the last few seasons at the higher end of the table.

Instead, Bowen could instead be in line for a new contract at the London Stadium, with the Daily Mail reporting last month that West Ham would like to double his £60,000 per week wages to secure his signature and ward off any transfer interest in him. Those conversations may not happen until the end of the transfer window however, with the Irons instead focused on new signings before addressing Bowen’s situation. That would suggest the club have no interest in listening to offers for their star man and are happy to wait to conclude other business before talking with Bowen about a new deal.

In the meantime, Bowen will be focused on impressing for England, having backed up his Three Lions debut against Hungary with cameos off the bench against Germany in Munich and Italy in Wolverhampton. With only a handful of international matches left to play until the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar at the end of the year, there aren’t too many chances for Bowen to force his way into Southgate’s plans.

“When I came in it was all new and it was about showing what I am about on the pitch and off the pitch as a person," said Bowen via the Mail. “I think I've done that with the game time that I've had. I didn't know if I was going to play any minutes coming here.

“You never know if you are going to play or if you're not. I am grateful to play the minutes that I have with one game left as well. I don't want to say that I've made [the World Cup squad]. I don't want to change my approach or my way of playing because it has got me here.”

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