While their start to the season might suggest otherwise, West Ham United do have some seriously talented players in their squad.
For example, the likes of Freddie Potts, Lucas Paqueta, Mateus Fernandes and El Hadji Malick Diouf are all quality options.
However, when it comes to the Hammers’ most crucial player, it’s impossible to ignore Mr West Ham himself, Jarrod Bowen.
At his best, the Englishman is a force of nature, and so fans should be excited about reports linking the club with someone who could be Bowen 2.0.
West Ham target their next Bowen
Since moving to West Ham in 2020, Bowen has made 251 appearances for West Ham.
In that time, he’s provided 53 assists and scored 77 goals, including what will probably be the most important he’ll ever score, the winner against Fiorentina in the Conference League Final.
There can be no doubt that the Leominster-born international has been one of the greatest transfers the club have made in the modern era, and so it’s exciting to see that they might be about to make a similar one.
At least, that is according to a recent report from Sports Boom, which claims West Ham are interested in Scott Twine.
The report goes further, revealing that the Irons are in fact plotting an £8m swoop to sign the Bristol City star as soon as January.
However, the East Londoners are unlikely to get a free hit at the Englishman, as the report has also highlighted Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers as interested parties.
With that said, even if it’s not a straightforward deal, West Ham should pursue Twine, as he could be a Bowen repeat.
Why Twine could be a Bowen repeat
Now, the first thing to point out is that, yes, Twine is primarily a midfielder and therefore plays a very different role and style compared to Bowen.
However, where he plays is not what makes this a potential repeat of the move for the 28-year-old.
Instead, one of the main similarities is that, were this deal to go through in January, it would be another example of the Hammers signing one of the most interesting English players from the Championship.
For example, in the half-season before his move to East London in 2020, the former Hull ace had racked up a monstrous tally of 17 goals and six assists in 32 games.
Twine’s 25/26
Appearances
17
Starts
17
Minutes
1318′
Goals
6
Assists
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.58
Minutes per Goal Involvement
131.8
Now, the Bristol star hasn’t been that much of a goal threat, but considering he is a midfielder, his tally of six goals and four assists in 17 appearances is still hugely impressive.
Moreover, while it would be foolish to expect the Swindon-born ace to be as good for the Irons as their captain has been over the years, there is at least one area of the game in which he’s arguably world-class: free-kicks.
For example, four of his 11 goals over the last two years have come from them, and when you see the quality of them, it’s hard to disagree with one content creator who has dubbed him “the best free kick taker in the world.”
With that said, Bristol’s manager, Gerhard Struber, has made clear that the 26-year-old “is not only a free-kick monster; he is also a really good transition player.”
Ultimately, while he isn’t going to be as transformative as Bowen has been, Twine could be another excellent signing from the Championship for West Ham, and given his price tag, a bit of a no-brainer.
