Watford boss Roy Hodgson has revealed he failed in an attempt to sign Jarrod Bowen for Crystal Palace before he moved to West Ham.
The 25-year-old moved to the London Stadium from Championship side Hull City in January 2020 in a deal worth just over £20million.
Hodgson, now in charge of the Hornets after leaving Palace at the end of last season, said the Eagles were big fans of Bowen but couldn't finance a deal until the summer, with Hull wanting money upfront for their prized asset.
“I and the club, we were big admirers of his,” said Hodgson, whose Watford side take on West Ham in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.
“We would have dearly liked to have brought him to the club, there was no question of that. But unfortunately, we weren’t able at that moment in time to afford the transfer fee.
“We tried desperately to do a deal where we would get him on loan, with maybe a possibility of paying the transfer fee in the summer, when the club was hoping to maybe have some money available.
“Dougie Freedman [Crystal Palace sporting director] and I were 100 per cent convinced that this is a man who would do us an awful lot of good, but we couldn’t persuade Hull to do anything but sell him for the price they wanted, and we didn’t have the money at that time to buy."
When Palace did have funds available that summer they chose to sign Eberechi Eze from Queens Park Rangers for around £20million, at which point Bowen had already made 13 appearances for the Hammers and scored one goal.
He kicked on the season after with eight goals across all competitions but has had his best return in a West Ham during the current campaign, finding the net ten times so far in 33 appearances under David Moyes.
“I think he has progressed quicker and maybe better than I thought, but that’s because he is working at a good club, with good coaches and, in particular, a very good manager," added Hodgson.
“I think he made a good decision in choosing West Ham as they are bringing the best out of him.
“I haven’t spoken to him, but I am pretty certain if I do speak to him, he would say: ‘It was a good move for me because I have learned a lot, I’ve become a better player and I profited from playing with these good players around me. I’ve profited from a good manager like, Moyes, and his staff’.”
