Why Jarrod Bowen could be a real coup for Norwich City in January

According to claims from Football League World, as relayed by The Pink’Un, Norwich City have been credited with an interest in Hull City star Jarrod Bowen, with the Canaries looking to bolster their ranks during the January transfer window. 

Premier League rivals Newcastle United are also keeping close tabs on the 22-year-old former Hereford United youth graduate, who has once again taken the Championship by storm with his blistering form in front of the goal (Football League World h/t The Pink’ Un).

Bowen took his goal tally for the season up to 14 in the Championship at the weekend, firing a quickfire brace to guide the Tigers to a 2-1 comeback victory over Stoke City at the KCOM Stadium. 

Having finished as the club’s top-scorer in the Championship over the past two seasons, the 22-year-old looks well on course to repeat that feat for the third successive campaign in a row.

Bowen will be out of contract in East Yorkshire in the summer of 2020, although the Tigers have an option to exercise a 12-month extension clause to keep him at the club until 2021 (h/t Pink’Un).

As per the report, Norwich’s Sporting Director has confirmed that the Canaries are going to have substantial funds at their disposal in January.

However, he has made it clear that the club will only look to bring in players who they feel are capable of doing a job in the Premier League or the Championship, should the Canaries suffer relegation (h/t Pink’ Un).

To that end, Jarrod Bowen certainly fits the bill at Carrow Road as a proven source of goals and assists in the Championship. While he is yet to make the step up to the top-flight, his incredible record at Hull City suggests that the 22-year-old has what it takes to cut the mustard in the Premier League in the years to come.

Norwich City are currently placed 19th in the standings following a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sheffield United, four points adrift of safety ahead of a daunting trip to high-flying Leicester City next weekend. 

Hence, it is pretty clear that the Canaries will require a herculean effort to climb up the standings over the coming months and eventually beat the drop in the Premier League. 

A tally of 17 goals scored and 34 conceded so far highlights the need for some significant improvement at both ends of the pitch.

Meanwhile, Bowen has plundered a mammoth 53 goals and 11 assists in 120 appearances for Hull City in all competitions so far, which is certainly an incredible record for someone who is not an out-and-out centre-forward.

Teemu Pukki, who spearheaded Norwich’s promotion surge in the Championship with 29 goals the last term, has once again been the key contributor with goals up top for Daniel Farke’s side in the Premier League this season. 

The Finnish international has already racked up an impressive tally of 8 goals and 3 assists in 16 games but he hasn’t had a lot of support from his teammates. 

Onel Hernandez and Todd Cantwell have chipped in with some valuable goal contributions. However, with Man City loanee Patrick Roberts, Dennis Srbeny and Josip Drmic not living up to the expectations, Norwich could do with someone like Bowen.

As well as his obvious pedigree in front of the goal, the left-footed attacker would also offer Farke with some quality cover in multiple areas in the attacking third, given his versatility.

As per whoscored, Bowen has averaged an impressive 1.3 key passes, 3.8 shots and 2 dribbles per game in the Championship this season.

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Verdict

All in all, Jarrod Bowen looks like a significant upgrade on Norwich’s existing attacking options and a potential deal for the Hull City man might go a long way towards helping the Canaries come out on top in the relegation battle.