Whilst it’s true that Mo Salah and Bukayo Saka are two of the Premier League’s best players, for one of their opponents to essentially admit he models his game on both of them is still quite something.
As a footballer you want to have your trademark skills, something that you and you alone are known for.
For West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, however, he clearly wants to take something more than just points from the Liverpool and Arsenal stars.
“I still think Salah,” he was quoted as saying by Metro when asked who he modelled his game on.
“He has scored 30 goals, and people still say he is having a bad season. I think for the numbers he has produced consistently since he has been in the Premier League, he is still up there.
“But I also think Bukayo as well at Arsenal. I had the honour of playing with him for England and I saw how good he was.
“This season he has been phenomenal. Those two are the ones for me for the numbers they produce and the quality they play with.”
Bowen has been a shining light in what’s turned out to be a disappointing campaign for the Hammers.
Eight goals and four assists might not sound a lot for a Premier League striker, but is satisfactory when you consider how badly West Ham have underperformed domestically throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
At just 26 years of age, he still hasn’t theoretically reached his peak years as a player, and if the east Londoners can find the form they showed from 2021/22, there’s no reason why Bowen can’t improve on his numbers.
It is a bit of a stretch to put him in the same class as Saka or Salah, but confidence isn’t the worst trait to have for a footballer and, in many cases, is the driver for getting players to perform at the highest levels week in and week out.