West Ham find Jarrod Bowen's perfect partner as fans hail Joshua Zirkzee links

While standout moments for Joshua Zirkzee in a Manchester United shirt have been pretty few and far between, there was one game in particular which may explain West Ham’s alleged interest.

A front three of Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo and the £34 million Dutch international would, unfortunately, burn bright but extremely briefly at Old Trafford.

Looking back now at that 4-0 thrashing of Everton in December 2024, ‘false dawn’ would be a fitting description. A performance of rare dominance early in the Ruben Amorim era, and Joshua Zirkzee was at the heart of it.

On an afternoon where he scored two of his seven goals in Manchester United colours, the role Zirkzee played in the Red Devils’ third of that thumping victory showcased the former Bayern Munich starlet at his most devastatingly effective.

And with West Ham United reportedly watching Zirkzee’s situation closely ahead of the January transfer window, per TEAMtalk, one suspects Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville in particular may be watching developments with interest.

Dropping into his own half, mere moments after the interval, Zirkzee dragged Jarrad Branthwaite up the pitch, brought the ball under control and instinctively flicked it around the corner.

His ingenious through ball could not have been better placed, or better weighted, for an onrushing Rashford.

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Over the summer, Niclas Fullkrug opened up on his partnership with Bowen in a claret and blue jersey.

‘When you have players like Jarrod, who are quick, who can run in behind, it’s incredible for me,’ the German said.

Now, if Fullkrug relishes the prospect of the West Ham skipper running onto his flick-ons, then a centre-forward with Zirkzee’s skillset feels like just about the ideal candidate to make the very most of his searing pace in the channels.

Take that assist for Rashford against Everton for instance. Imagine Bowen or the similarly jet-heeled Summerville running onto those through balls and flicks. Maybe not quite Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son in their Tottenham pomp, but certainly a partnership cut from a similar cloth.

“Zirkzee being a mobile, physical forward will create chances for those around him and thrive off Bowen and Summerville’s pace in the side,” one fan wrote when hearing of those links. “[He] would be a huge addition!

“If he could rediscover the form he showed at Bologna, then he would be a real positive for us,” another adds, feeling that the speedy Callum Marshall would be a ‘beneficiary’ too.

“In my opinion, one player who’d be a beneficiary would be Marshall. With Zirkzee at 1.93 metres Callum at 1.72 metres, it would be a [John] Toshack – [Kevin] Keegan [at Liverpool] throwback.”

“Bring. [Zirkzee] would easily be our third best player behind Summerville and Bowen. Bloke was one of the best strikers in the world at Bologna!”

“Yes, without question Zirkzee, Endrick [and] Adama Traore. It’s not just about our first XI either. We have absolutely no one to bring off the bench at the moment!”

“Yeah, [we should sign Zirkzee] easy. There’s a good player there.”

Belgian football pundit Filip Joos once said Zirkzee – who enjoyed an 18-goal season at Anderlecht in 2021/22 – was ‘the best in the world’ when it comes to linking play as a number nine.

If it is a more traditional, penalty-box centre-forward Nuno Espirito Santo wants though, the likes of Mateo Pellegrino, Franculino Dju or Chris Wood are likely to come into consideration.

Parma giant Pellegrino was linked with West Ham last week, via Tuttosport. The £25 million-rated Italian joins Zirkzee in the 6ft 4ins-club. Six of his last seven goals, meanwhile, have come via the head.

In contrast, Franculino Dju’s form has dipped at Midtjylland since a reported £13 million bid arrived from East London late in the summer window.

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