Jarrod Bowen warned against leaving West Ham for Aston Villa as transfer claim made | OneFootball

The link to Aston Villa has been questioned as a move for West Ham United star, captain, and talisman Jarrod Bowen this summer...

Aston Villa have been linked with West Ham United's talisman and captain Jarrod Bowen, with Andy Goldstein of talkSPORT expecting the attacker to leave for Villa Park.

It's been reported that both Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville could move to Aston Villa, with others stating that Everton and Spurs are both eyeing Bowen after West Ham United suffered relegation to return to the Championship after 14 years away.

It could be a difficult deal for Villa with West Ham to secure Bowen this summer, with the 29-year-old still having four years left on his contract this summer. Since his arrival from Hull City, he has scored 85 and notched 63 assists in 280 games for the club.

However, his time could be coming to an end, with Andy Goldstein revealing Bowen is likely to join Villa from West Ham in the coming weeks. The forward was left out of Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad and may be keen to remain in the Premier League to fight his way back in.

The West Ham United verdict on Jarrod Bowen potentially joining Aston Villa

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FLW’s West Ham fan pundit Ryan Horn was asked about Goldstein's comments regarding Bowen signing for Aston Villa this summer. If that is to be the case, we asked if he thinks that would be a good move for Bowen in heading for Villa Park.

He responded: "It's a tough one. On the one hand, he gets to play Champions League football in a stronger side with a lot of depth. They won't be all or mostly reliant on him.

"But I think it would be a good move for Villa, but maybe not a good move for Bowen. He is a starter at West Ham, no matter what. He is loved by everyone. Okay, he has had a bit of a rocky year and he still performed.

"He's captain of our club. He's got family ties here now. He's a West Ham legend. If he stays and gets us back up, I've said this before, he will go under the names of [Bobby] Moore and Geoff Hurst.

"Honestly, build him a statue outside of the ground. I think if it takes a while for him to get running at Villa, the fans will be like, 'oh, look, we've spent this money, he's 29, and we should've gone for someone younger'.

"With West Ham, it's a completely different story here. He doesn't need to prove himself to any of us. Whereas, he will need to prove himself to them. You know, he might get benched.

"The pro for him is probably more money but also playing Champions League football; he deserves it, but I don't know if it's a good move.

"It depends what his goal is but I do hope he stays. I don't know who Andy Goldstein's source is and I have heard him say many things over the course of the last few seasons. I'm sure his top sauce is Heinze.

"Obviously, other brands are available. But I don't believe any of it. It's a good move for Villa because Bowen is obviously a top player and should be at the World Cup, but not a good move for Bowen."

Jarrod Bowen could make sense tactically for Aston Villa

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Despite his age, there is another angle here. From a tactical perspective, Bowen could be an excellent fit for Unai Emery's Aston Villa. The England international thrives when attacking space in transition, using his intelligent movement, direct running, and clinical finishing to punish opponents on the counter-attack.

With Villa boasting greater technical quality around him than he has often enjoyed at West Ham, Bowen could become even more dangerous, particularly when linking up with creative players capable of releasing him quickly into open space. The likes of Youri Tielemans would love to punch passes to him in transition.

That said, there is another side to the equation as well. Villa are increasingly becoming one of the Premier League's stronger sides, meaning many opponents are likely to sit deeper against them rather than commit bodies forward. As a result, counter-attacking opportunities may not come as frequently as they once did.

Bowen is still capable of making an impact against low blocks through his movement, but his greatest strengths are arguably showcased when there is space to exploit, making his adaptation to a more possession-dominant side an interesting aspect here. Could he stay at West Ham and become even more of a club icon? Could a loan benefit most, if not all, parties?