It’s now being widely reported that a deal has been agreed for Barcelona to sign Manchester City attacker Ferran Torres in January, with the fee expected to be in the region of £50million.
Barcelona have made no secret of their ambition to sign Torres, and it’s been clear for some time that the Spanish international would be open to the move if the deal could be agreed.
Torres only joined the club 18 months ago and looked on course to kickstart his City career at the start of this campaign, scoring three goals and registering one assist across his opening five appearances.
However, the foot injury he sustained in October whilst on international duty derailed his promising start and he’s not featured since.
Although his departure now looks imminent, it’s unclear whether City will look to bring in a replacement, given the plethora of attacking talent already at the club.
However, there’s one player already plying his trade in the Premier League that could prove an interesting alternative if Pep Guardiola was keen to fill any void left by the 21-year-old.
While he may have slipped under the radar for many, West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen has been one of the division’s most impressive attackers across the last 18 months, and according to data experts Statsbomb via FBref, he’s one of the players who stylistically best matches up to Torres.
Bowen is not considered a headline grabber in terms of goals and assists, but yet he does boast a pretty solid 20 combined direct contributions across last season and this one so far.
The West Ham man isn’t as technically proficient as City’s number 21, but he’s robust, durable and still a huge handful, able to dribble through opponents with surprising success.
Like Torres, he tends to feature on the left of West Ham’s attack, despite being right-footed. Yet playing this position allows Bowen to cut in onto his favoured foot to unleash shots at goal, or thread passes through to teammates inside the box.
One of Bowen’s most appealing traits beyond what he offers on the ball is his work ethic off it. He’s best summarised as selfless, energetic and aggressive in terms of leading a press from the front.
These traits are essential for any attacker if they want to thrive at City, given how aggressively Guardiola's men press their opponents from the front.
Bowen’s all-round profile is a big reason why the attacker was linked with Liverpool in the summer, with Jurgen Klopp a known admirer of the 25-year-old.
If Guardiola is similarly impressed, then he could be a surprise target for City in the near future.
