‘Said it before…’ – John Aldridge urges Liverpool to ‘just go and get’ 27y/o if Mo Salah is sold

John Aldridge has made a firm recommendation to Liverpool’s transfer hierarchy in the event that Mo Salah is sold.

The former Reds striker wrote in his column for the Liverpool Echo on Wednesday morning that he can envisage the club cashing in on the Egyptian, who’s reportedly been the subject of a nine-figure offer from the Saudi Pro League recently.

If LFC were to take the money for the 31-year-old, the ex-Republic of Ireland international believes that Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes should look within the Premier League for a replacement.

Aldridge stated: “There will be big scope for the manager to come in and put his stamp on the team and on the squad. Do we need a new striker? I presume, and it’s only me presuming, that the club will have to let Mohamed Salah go because of financial reasons.

“If they do, I’d just go and get Jarrod Bowen. I’ve said it before, Bowen, if you look at the players out there. If you can get him that is, with all due respect to West Ham.

“We have to see if he’s available, and everyone is available at the right price. The likes of Bowen, even Ollie Watkins, they are the types of players forward-wise if Mo goes that we have to be looking at.

“I don’t think we could get Watkins because Villa are in the Champions League now. They’re going to keep their players, but they’re two players who would fit the bill for me.”

In many respects, Bowen would indeed appear to be an ideal long-term successor to Salah at Liverpool.

At 27, he strikes an ideal balance between boasting ample experience and still having plenty of years ahead of him, while his English nationality would help towards meeting homegrown critera requirements for the Reds’ domestic and European squads.

More importantly, his track record shows that he clearly knows how to find the net, with 20 goals in 44 games this season, and 43 in his 166 Premier League appearances.

Some Liverpool fans might also wish to have Bowen playing for rather than against them after a season in which he netted in each of his three matches against the Reds, as well as providing an assist in West Ham’s 2-2 draw against us last month.

Indeed, this summer could provide an opportune window to strike for the 27-year-old. The Irons are highly likely to miss out on European football for the first time in four years and are also bidding farewell to David Moyes, who brought the winger to the club from Hull City in January 2020.

The dream scenario would be to keep Salah and sign the Hammers forward as cover/competition, but if the Egyptian were to depart in the coming months, then bringing in someone of Bowen’s standing becomes a real necessity.