Liverpool's Salah Successor: Why Jarrod Bowen is a No Risk Option

The Premier League era at Anfield is about to move into life after Mohamed Salah, and the first serious suggestion for his successor comes from a familiar voice. Danny Murphy believes Liverpool should pounce on Jarrod Bowen this summer – and he calls it a “no risk” deal.

West Ham’s relegation after 14 years in the top flight has turned their captain into a target. Bowen did his part: nine goals and 11 assists in 38 league games. It still wasn’t enough to keep the Hammers up, but it was more than enough to keep his reputation intact.

Now, with four years left on his contract but the club heading for the Championship, the 29-year-old looks primed for a move. Liverpool, losing Salah on a free transfer, are an obvious landing spot.

Murphy: Bowen breaks the model, but fits the team

Speaking on talkSPORT’s Kick Off on Monday, Murphy was asked by Natalie Sawyer whether Bowen should be on Liverpool’s radar. He didn’t hesitate.

“I wouldn’t be disappointed seeing him at Liverpool,” the former Reds midfielder said, pointing straight at the winger’s end product and durability. Goals. Assists. Availability. In Murphy’s eyes, Bowen ticks the boxes that matter most to a manager.

He also acknowledged the elephant in the room: Bowen does not fit Liverpool’s usual recruitment profile. At 29, with limited resale value, he is not the classic Anfield data play.

“There’s a criteria generally that Liverpool stick to… and he doesn’t really fit in that in terms of age, potential profit and all those types of things,” Murphy admitted.

That, for him, is the point. Sometimes you bend the model for certainty.

Murphy argued that Liverpool could land a proven Premier League attacker for a fraction of the cost of a glamour signing. With West Ham dropping into the Championship, he floated a ballpark figure of £20–30 million, and even suggested a scenario in which the fee dips towards the lower end if Bowen pushes to leave and the club are keen to clear his wages.

At that price, Murphy called it “no risk”. A plug-and-play right-sided forward who knows the league, knows the demands, and doesn’t need a season to settle.

The No.11 question – and the Salah shadow

The obvious comparison is unavoidable. Salah’s No.11 shirt will soon be vacant, his legacy towering over whoever follows.

Murphy wouldn’t rush that burden onto Bowen’s back.

“I wouldn’t put that on him,” he said. If Bowen wanted the number, fine. But the symbolism is not the priority. The football is.

Murphy was clear on another point: this is not an argument against elite-level ambition. He namechecked Kvicha Kvaratskhelia as the dream scenario – a superstar wide forward, the kind Liverpool would love to tempt from a club where he has already “won everything”.

“If you can persuade Kvaratskhelia… go for him by all means, because there’s no one better,” Murphy said.

The difference is cost and complexity. Kvaratskhelia, or any comparable A-list winger, would command a huge fee and wages. Bowen, in Murphy’s view, offers a cheaper, simpler solution that frees up resources to tackle other areas of the squad.

And that matters, because replacing Salah’s output is almost impossible. The numbers are brutal.

Salah leaves with 257 goals in 442 games for Liverpool across nine years. Four Premier League Golden Boots. Fourth on the competition’s all-time scoring list with 193 goals.

Murphy didn’t pretend Bowen could match that. “He’s not going to get Salah’s numbers, they’re just ridiculous,” he said. What Bowen can offer, he argued, is consistency: “tried and tested every year in the Premier League.”

Slot’s rebuild: wide men at the heart of it

Arne Slot steps into a club that finished fifth and knows it needs a sharp, decisive summer. The forward line is central to that rebuild.

With Salah leaving, Liverpool are expected to bring in either two wingers or a winger plus a more versatile attacker capable of operating across the front. The recruitment team have already cast the net wide.

Ivorian international Yan Diomande has emerged as a leading target. The RB Leipzig winger is seen inside Liverpool as a strong stylistic fit to replace Salah, but the price is eye-watering. The German club have placed an £86m valuation on him, and Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are also circling.

Bradley Barcola and Anthony Gordon are on the list too, both offering different profiles but similarly high ceilings – and, likely, high costs.

That is where Bowen’s name refuses to go away. While others come with continental glamour and huge price tags, he brings something else: reliability, Premier League miles on the clock, and a potential fee that leaves room for Liverpool to strengthen midfield, defence, and depth in one window.

Salah’s departure creates a hole that no single signing can realistically fill. The question facing Slot and Liverpool’s hierarchy is simple: do they chase the next superstar, or do they spread the load with a proven, “no risk” option like Bowen and trust the collective to carry the goals?