Newcastle United transfers: Steve Bruce has revealed how close the Magpies were to signing one of this season’s top Premier League performers.

Steve Bruce has revealed that Newcastle United were agonisingly close to signing Jarrod Bowen before his move to West Ham. Bowen burst onto the scene with Hull City during Brucr’s time in charge of the Tigers and completed a move to West Ham for around £22m back in 2020.

Newcastle United, under Bruce’s management at the time, were heavily-linked with a move for Bowen but were unable to get a deal over the line. Ultimately, the Hammers would swoop for his signature and 198 appearances, 59 goals and 37 assists later, it has turned out to be a very good piece of business.

Instead of moving for Bowen in January 2020, the Magpies instead opted to sign Danny Rose, Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro on-loan. Speaking on TalkSport about his attempts to lure Bowen to St James’ Park, Bruce said: "I've got a big affinity with him. I signed Jarrod at Hull for £50,000 a long time ago when he was 16 so I knew all about him.

"I had him parked up at Wetherby Services trying to take him to Newcastle and couldn't get it over the line and he went to West Ham. One that got away."

Bowen, who netted West Ham’s third at St James’ Park just last month to put his side 3-1 ahead before the Magpies staged a dramatic comeback, has previously spoken about his own experiences of that failed move to Tyneside. Speaking on the Premier League’s Behind the Game, Bowen said last year: "So it was on Deadline Day, and I was just sat there doing nothing. I thought I was going to Newcastle because Steve Bruce was there.

"I was even looking for houses and everything, I thought it was nailed on! Then they turned around and said: 'We won't pay the money'. So I thought: 'Ok, I'll stay at Hull then'.”

Whilst it’s hard to predict the impact Bowen could have had at Newcastle United had he made the move four years ago, it’s clear that his form for the Hammers shows he would have made a great impact on Tyneside and is someone that would have likely found a home in Eddie Howe’s current system.