Arsenal are being linked with a move for West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen, with the Gunners looking to strengthen their attack before the end of the transfer window.
Having already adding Gabriel Jesus to their forward line, who has impressed for Arsenal during pre-season, it's been reported that the Gunners have "definitely" made an enquiry for West Ham's Bowen. It's no secret that Arteta is still looking to add to his squad this summer, despite having already spent over £100million.
Bowen had a fantastic campaign during the 2021/22 season, with his record of 24 goal involvements in 36 games earning the 25-year-old his first England call-up whilst being linked with the likes of Liverpool. But, with the season opener just around the corner, it seems Arsenal have enquired about the forward with their London rivals.
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So, if Arsenal were to pursue Bowen seriously and bring him to the Emirates this summer, what sort of impact would the explosive forward have? Could he help push Arteta's side for a return to the Champions League?
We 'signed' Jarrod Bowen for Arsenal next season
To set up the simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to transfer the England international to Arsenal before the start of the Premier League season. To get the most realistic results possible, we updated the Gunners with the latest squad.
Bowen automatically hit the ground running in his first season with the Gunners, making a total of 37 appearances across three different competitions. The 25-year-old made 30 appearances in the Premier League as he became a favourite under Arteta, managing to tally 15 goals and five assists in all competitions.
13 of the goals and all five assists came in the Premier League in a fantastic individual campaign. Bowen averaged a rating of 7.42 per game for the Gunners, which was the highest in the entire squad.
Just edging Bukayo Saka to the highest rating (7.41), Bowen ended the season as Arsenal's second highest goalscorer behind Jesus, with the Brazilian grabbing 23 in his first season at the club. Bowen's five assists were the joint-third highest at the club, with Martin Odegaard topping the chart (11).
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Gunners' best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Arsenal best XI: (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Gabriel, White Tierney; Zinchenko, Partey; Bowen, Odegaard, Saka; Jesus.
Bowen made the best XI on the right side of the midfield, with Saka being moved to the left to accommodate the new signing. Oleksandr Zinchenko started in the defensive midfield partnering with Thomas Partey, meaning there was no room in the starting XI for Fabio Viera, Granit Xhaka, Emile Smith-Rowe or Gabriel Martinelli.
So, how did the Gunners perform in the Premier League and cup competitions after signing Bowen in the summer transfer window? Let's take a look.
Arsenal's results from the 2022/23 simulation:
Arsenal improved massively in the Premier League with Bowen in the squad, jumping two places higher than last season and finishing third in the table. Arteta's side were involved in a three-way title battle with Manchester City and Liverpool, finishing joint on points with the Reds in second and just four points behind champions, Man City.
Their 80-point haul was 11 more than Arsenal tallied last season, showing the improvement made with the new signings. The Gunners also ended the season as the joint-top scorers in the league, with them and Man City netting 73 times.
In the cup competitions, Arsenal did well domestically but were poor in the Europa League. After losing their first three group stage games, the Gunners seemed to admit defeat as they turned their focus back to the league and finished dead last in the group with four points.
Arsenal made it to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals where they faced Man United, but a 2-1 defeat saw them eliminated from the competition. Arteta's side did go on a fantastic FA Cup run though as they reached the final of the competition, but a poor performance saw the Gunners battered 4-0 by Man City.
So, if Bowen was to make the move to Arsenal, the simulation predicts he could be the perfect attacking option for the Gunners, with the England international thriving under Arteta as he ended the season as the squad's highest-rated player. Bowen's fantastic goal contribution from the right saw Arsenal battle for the title and reach a cup final, with his instant impact along with the impressive first seasons of Jesus and Zinchenko revitalising Arsenal's attack.
Would you like to see Jarrod Bowen sign for the Gunners this summer? Let us know in the comments!
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