If West Ham United are looking for a left-footed right-winger who can do a more than passable impression of club captain Jarrod Bowen, well, you’d struggle to find one who fits the bill better than Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu.
As speculation continues to rage around Bowen, interest in Leicester’s talismanic number seven can be read in one of two ways.
Either, Abdul Fatawu has been lined up as a readymade Jarrod Bowen replacement. Or, West Ham United want to ease the pressure on a man everyone in claret and blue looks to in search of inspiration.
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Should Bowen stick around – and it is not out of the question that he will – the potential departures of Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville and Taty Castellanos would pile even more pressure onto the skipper’s shoulders.
Fatawu, linked this week by club insider ExWhuEmployee, knows himself how it feels to be the main man at a struggling institution.
Leicester City star Abdul Fatawu could be West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen successor
Bowen provided 20 Premier League goal contributions as West Ham went down. Fatawu would rack up 17 of his own [nine goals, eight assists] as Leicester suffered the same fate.
Many of Fatawu’s nine goals follow a similar, and familiar, pattern. Cut inside onto your left foot and let fly.
Fatawu’s screamer from the edge of the box against Swansea was straight out of the Jarrod Bowen playbook. Ditto his stunner at Charlton, or the fabulous solo goal he scored in pre-season versus Fiorentina.
Fatawu’s finest moment, though, was undoubtedly the scarcely-believable lob from inside his own half against Ipswich. Not even Bowen has scored from this far out.
Now, Fatawu is far from the finished article. At 22, he was never going to be.
There are some who feel that a footballer of such extraordinary talent should be scoring more than nine in 44 games. Bowen took his goalscoring exploits to another level when he started to add scrappy, striker-like efforts to the occasional stunner.
Fatawu would benefit from adding some ruthless simplicity to his penchant for the spectacular. Still, like Bowen when he joined West Ham from Hull as a baby-faced 23-year-old from Hull City in 2020, the raw potential makes Fatawu a fearsome prospect indeed.
Gary Lineker likens Fatawu to Arsenal and England ace Bukayo Saka
“I’ve watched him a lot. The kid’s really special,” Leicester legend Gary Lineker said on the Rest is Football podcast shortly after the 29-time Ghana international joined the Foxes from Sporting Lisbon on a permanent basis.
“He’ll beat people, he’s quick, he’ll take people on. He’ll cut inside and bend one in the top corner, he’ll go down the outside and cross the ball.”
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Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Lineker, interestingly, would draw comparisons between Fatawu and one of the wingers who kept Bowen out of England’s World Cup squad.
“He’s a little like [Bukayo] Saka.
“He’s got an incredible work ethic, got a lovely personality. He’s a real character and everyone at Leicester knows that.”
According to Alan Nixon, via his Patreon page, Leicester may be tempted by offers of around £20 million. West Ham are short of cash currently, although there will be funds available once Fernandes departs. Presumably, for a fee in excess of £60 million.
It remains to be seen if Fatawu is someone West Ham have identified purely as a Bowen replacement. £20 million is a lot to spend on winger who, if Bowen was to stick around, may struggle to nail down a spot in his preferred position.
“This guy is absolutely lightning,” former Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given said on Match of the Day during Fatawu’s brief time in the Premier League.”
“What I like about him is he’s so direct and quick. He’s so aggressive with his runs. It’s OK doubling up against him, but he can go inside and outside.
“He plays with a smile on his face. He feels no pressure when he comes on the pitch. He’s a brilliant talent.”
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