Bowen's the kind of signing that makes sense... but it's potentially BAD news for one Liverpool star 😬

Is Bowen worth the added cost?

Eight goals and five assists last term for Jarrod Bown.

Not bad, but not exactly setting the world alight.

Barring the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah (both of whom have reached a different level at Anfield), however, isn’t this the kind of transfer move that has become our bread and butter under Jurgen Klopp?

Consider for a moment the low-key signings of Andrew Robertson and Georginio Wijnaldum from a then relegated Hull City outfit and Premier League strugglers Newcastle United respectively. Both earned more than their fair share of raised eyebrows and sniggers from neutrals before their talent shone through clearly for all to see.

As things stand, the former is considered one of the globe’s most remarkable fullbacks, the latter was courted by Europe’s elite as his contract ran down in Merseyside.

We don’t necessarily always have the spending power to go after the instant win, but Klopp and the recruitment team’s eyes rarely fail us.

Looking at the surface-level details, some parallels can be drawn between the prior summer’s move for Diogo Jota and linked target Bowen.

The Englishman’s amassed total of 13 goal contributions (eight goals/five assists) exceeds the Liverpool star’s total of eight (seven goals/one assist) in his final season at Wolves.

That’s not necessarily indicative of the player’s potential suitability as part of our forward line, of course, though if Klopp can help boost those numbers further - as looked to be the case with Jota prior to his injury - then we could have something formidable on our hands.

This is all very much conjecture at this point, however, and what makes the link somewhat questionable is the impact such a signing would potentially have on Harvey Elliott.

Positionally, the highly-rated teenager and the Hammers star are quite similar, both favouring Mo Salah’s preferred right wing spot.

Both can play across the forward line, which may suggest that such a preference is far from being an issue, however, one might imagine that stocking up on such players may be less than ideal.

It all very much depends on whether this season is deemed the right one to induct Elliott into the first-team squad.

Given how successful his prior loan spell with Blackburn Rovers was, we’d certainly argue that the 18-year-old’s level is beyond that of the Championship.

Nonetheless, considering how limited our finances are, sending out a promising attacker on loan when we’re in need of bolstering the forward line hardly seems the right approach.

As such, while a move for Bowen would make a certain amount of sense on paper, it’s difficult to see Liverpool actively moving for the Englishman unless we’re prepared to encourage either Elliott or the 24-year-old to demonstrate their versatility on a regular basis.

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