West Ham star waited at M1 service station in hope of completing Newcastle United move

Steve Bruce tried to sign Jarrod Bowen for Newcastle United on January transfer deadline day in 2020.

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Steve Bruce has revealed how close he came to signing Jarrod Bowen for Newcastle United in January 2020.

The 62-year-old brought Bowen to Hull City from non-league side Hereford in 2014 and planned to reunite with the forward at St James’ Park.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bowen’s 54 goals in 131 appearances for the Tigers eventually attracted interest from Premier League clubs, and it boiled down to either West Ham or Newcastle on deadline day.

West Han United forward Jarrod Bowen. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)West Han United forward Jarrod Bowen. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
West Han United forward Jarrod Bowen. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Unfortunately for Bruce, Bowen ended up sealing a move to the London Stadium with the former Magpies head coach unable to find the funds to meet Hull’s reported £18million asking price.

“The big one I missed on at Newcastle was Jarrod Bowen who we’d actually signed at Hull from Hereford for about £50,000,” Bruce told the Die For Three Points podcast. “I watched him come through, great kid.

“I had him parked in the service station on the M1 waiting to see if we had the permission, to see if I could scramble the funds to make it happen but I couldn’t get the money together and he went to West Ham instead.”

Bowen has enjoyed a successful three years with the Hammers, scoring 32 goals and providing 24 assists in 129 matches. He’s also been capped by England four times.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.