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Bowen wasn’t guaranteed to excel with Newcastle United

By Carson A Merk

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 13: Jarrod Bowen of Hull City acknowledges the fans after the Sky Bet Championship match between Charlton Athletic and Hull City at The Valley on December 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 13: Jarrod Bowen of Hull City acknowledges the fans after the Sky Bet Championship match between Charlton Athletic and Hull City at The Valley on December 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images) /
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It’s frustrating that Newcastle United missed out on Jarrod Bowen, but he wasn’t guaranteed to be a star in the Premier League.

Hull City forward Jarrod Bowen appears set to be joining West Ham  on the final day of the January transfer window. He was rumored to be a top target of Newcastle United and while the missed opportunity is frustrating, it’s unfair to assume that Bowen would’ve been a savior up top for the Magpies.

Bowen’s been a star for Hull City, who sit 13th on the Championship table. This season, the 23-year-old has 16 goals and seven assists in the second division. During the last two league campaigns, he has 36 goals and has set up six more. Those are quality numbers for a young attacking player, but it is in a league below the EPL. Do you know who scored 46 goals combined during the 2016/17 and 2018/19 Championship seasons? A gentleman by the name of Dwight Gayle that only has 21 total goals in over 100 matches in the Premier League.

The other part of the equation is that he’s not a traditional number nine. Like Joelinton, who NUFC fans wanted him to replace, Bowen has played on the wing, below the striker, and essentially as a number ten. Despite his goalscoring and playmaking ability, Bowen was not a picture-perfect fit for Steve Bruce’s side.

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It’s fair to be frustrated by Bowen joining West Ham over Newcastle and there’s a solid chance he becomes a quality player in the top flight. But, that’s not a guarantee and it’s unnecessary to make this into a huge deal when there are bigger issues at Tyneside.