Aston Villa are a club in transition thanks to the arrival of manager Unai Emery, who has installed a new level of belief and quality to the squad at Villa Park.
The Spaniard took the reins from Steven Gerrard in October 2022, where he took the side from 16th to 7th in his first spell as manager, marking his presence with Villa’s return to European competition for the first time since 2010.
By marking the 2022/23 campaign as a success story for the Villans, the former Arsenal boss has continued the level of performance so far this term, having won four games of their opening six, placing the Midlands giants in 6th.
Away from the action during the summer break, Emery joined forces with Monchi to deliver five new faces to Villa Park, including the club record-breaking arrival of Moussa Diaby in a deal worth £51.9m.
While the Spanish duo brought in sufficient reinforcements, this hasn’t always been the case at the club, as highlighted when looking at the form of some of their former speculated targets.
At third place in this season's scoring charts is West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen, who was once linked with a move to Villa Park, in what could’ve been a huge blessing for the Villans.
Did Aston Villa nearly sign Jarrod Bowen?
In the winter of 2019, BBC journalist Ian Dennis revealed that four clubs from the Premier League were eyeing a move for Hull City’s Bowen, with Villa named alongside Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton as those interested.
Nothing prevailed for any of the clubs listed by Dennis, as one deadline day in January 2020, West Ham signed the Englishman for a fee of £22m after some stiff competition from Crystal Palace in the build-up to securing his signature.
It wasn’t the first time that Bowen had been named as a player eyed by Villa, as he underwent trials at the Midlands club before making his senior breakthrough with Hereford United, trials that were unsuccessful for the forward at the time.
Looking back at how impactful the winger has been during his Premier League career, the information provides a loss for Villa and the other clubs rumoured to be interested, with the 26-year-old thriving in the top-flight.
What was Jarrod Bowen’s market value at the time?
A report via FootballTransfers placed a price of €10m (£9m) next to Bowen’s potential move to Villa, implying the worth of the winger at the time of the rumoured interest.
While the Leominster-born whiz had an expected transfer value (xTV) of just €11.6m (£10m) at the point of his £22m move to east London, his price tag was a reflection of his form at Hull in the Championship.
In just 29 appearances of the 2019/20 season prior to his Premier League move, Bowen had a hand in 22 league goals for the Tigers, scoring 16 and assisting six, following on from his heroics the season before in which he scored 22 Championship goals.
Villa could’ve had a bargain in pushing to sign the-then 23-year-old, who was showcasing all the right elements of his game ready for his introduction to the top-tier of English football.
What is his market value now?
While Dean Smith could have signed a dynamic player in Bowen, who has been previously lauded as “unbelievable” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, he could have also handed the Villans a highly-valuable asset for the future.
After his assured start to life in the Premier League, the 26-year-old now has a market value of €50m (£43m), seeing a rise of over £30m in just three and a half years, as per CIES Football Observatory.
West Ham struck gold in capturing the Englishman’s signature, with him rewarding the club’s trust with goals, silverware and the potential for significant profit in the future.
Why is he worth that much?
Last season, Bowen wrote himself into West Ham folklore by scoring the winner in the UEFA Europa Conference League final, just minutes before the match was set to go to penalties.
In the 2022/23 campaign, the former Hull ace had a solid Premier League campaign, scoring six times and assisting six goals in what was a treacherous term for the Hammers in the top-flight.
Prior to last season, the Englishman had showcased just why the Irons spent £22m to bring him to the club, as he secured 24 goal contributions in 36 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, scoring and assisting 12 times to stress his worth in the squad.
Bowen’s journey to being a European medalist, England international and a forward with over 100 Premier League appearances is a remarkable one, having made his mark at non-league level before being spotted by Hull City.
An extremely direct and dangerous weapon to have in attack, the 26-year-old’s hard work has got him to the place he is today, with him being a valued member of one of the best league’s in world football.
This season, usual service has been resumed, with the £60k-per-week star already having five goal contributions in West Ham’s opening six games, scoring four and assisting once to inspire David Moyes’ side in their impressive start.
What could Jarrod Bowen have offered to Villa?
At the point of the reported interest, Smith’s squad was still strengthened by the inclusion of Villa academy sensation Jack Grealish, who always seemed destined for the bright lights as his development continued in the first team.
In the summer of 2021, the Englishman made a £100m move to Manchester City, leaving the Villans deprived of their shining light in attack.
By signing Bowen the year prior in the January window, Smith could have eased the blow in the Midlands side losing Grealish, with the two players prevailing to have strong similarities to their games.
With an average of 7.08 progressive carries and 2.68 successful take-ons per 90 in his final season at Villa during the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, Grealish was the direct source of threat in Smith’s attack, via FBref.
Bowen has been lauded as having similar strengths, with DMG Media’s Lee Clayton previously dubbing the West Ham marvel as “dangerous” and “direct” in his approach to play.
Jack Grealish vs. Jarrod Bowen in the Premier League since 2021/22, via Transfermarkt
Player
Season
Club
Apps
Goals
Assists
Jack Grealish
2021/22
Manchester City
26
3
3
Jarrod Bowen
2021/22
West Ham United
36
12
12
Jack Grealish
2022/23
Manchester City
28
5
7
Jarrod Bowen
2022/23
West Ham United
38
6
6
Jack Grealish
2023/24
Manchester City
3
0
1
Jarrod Bowen
2023/24
West Ham United
6
4
1
Hindsight is a valuable thing, with time telling of just how much of a strong acquisition Bowen could have been in Smith’s side, taking into consideration his form, value and the loss of Grealish just a year later.
For a price far short of what the forward is worth today, Villa could have had a threat as great as Bowen in their squad, however, it was the other side in claret and blue that will reap the benefits of signing him.
