26 October 2023 , 01:00
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Michail Antonio believes his West Ham teammate Jarrod Bowen would be the "perfect replacement" for Mohamed Salah if he leaves Liverpool.
Salah was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia over the summer, with Al-Ittihad having a record-breaking bid for the forward rejected. However, they could revisit their pursuit of Salah in the upcoming January transfer window.
With the 31-year-old's contract due to expire in 18 months time, the Reds may decide to cash in. And if Salah does depart Antonio believes Bowen, who has scored six goals in nine games so far this season, would be an excellent signing to replace him.
"He is a bagsman," Antonio said of Bowen on the Footballer's Football podcast. "Everything he is touching is turning to gold right now. But hey, it's going to cost a lot of dough, man has just signed a seven-year deal.
"The money you get from Salah, you are going to have to give it to us! He's quality, left-footed and plays on the right-hand side like Mo Salah, so he is the perfect replacement, but hey, it's not going to be easy to get him out of here.
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"It won't be easy because that's a seven-year contract man has just signed." Bowen signed the longest contract in West Ham history earlier this month, with the England international committing his future to the club until 2030.
Bowen joined the Hammers from Championship side Hull in 2020 and has gone on to make more than 160 appearances for the club, most notably scoring the winner as West Ham beat Fiorentina 2-1 in last season's Europa Conference League final.
West Ham star Michail Antonio believes teammate Jarrod Bowen would be a "perfect replacement" for Salah (Visionhaus/Getty Images)And after putting pen to paper on his new long-term deal, Bowen said he wants to remain at the club for the rest of his career. "This means everything to me," he said. "When I was a little boy, I just wanted to play football at the highest level, and this club gave me the opportunity when no one else wanted to.
"Without this club, I wouldn't have played for my country and I wouldn't have scored the winning goal in a European final. So I think it's only fair that I repay that faith. I want to stay here and I want to stay here for the rest of my career.
"This is a sign of that. It's been a long time and there's been a lot of talk, but it's finally over the line and to get it done before I go away [with England] is so special."