Nottingham Forest are still in the mix to sign Josh Bowler but they could now face fierce competition for his signature.
According to The Express, Bowler is on the radar of Forest but Fulham, Bournemouth and Watford are keen to sign him too.
The Reds thought they’d signed the young winger on transfer deadline day back in January.
Back then, the former Everton trainee chose to stick with Blackpool as Neil Critchley’s team chased a play-off place in the Championship.
Although that stance was admirable, he robbed himself of a chance to win promotion by joining Forest.
Bowler would have come into the team as a first-choice player and he could have helped the Reds claim a place in the Premier League with relative ease.
The 23-year-old has played all five of Blackpool’s games so far this season, scoring a single goal.
Michael Appleton won’t want to lose his star winger but with a year left on his contract, bids of around £2.5 million could be entertained.
Bowler enjoyed a quality maiden campaign at Blackpool during 2021/22. He scored eight times and claimed three assists as he made 45 appearances in all competitions.
The versatile winger perhaps isn’t a natural fit in a Steve Cooper system but he would represent a decent option to provide some competition.
Forest in the mix to sign Bowler
Perhaps the other clubs in the race to sign the Chertsey-born player are better equipped to sign him than Forest.
Bournemouth and Fulham have had relatively quiet transfer windows, whilst Watford have a stack of cash to spend after selling Emmanuel Dennis and Joao Pedro.
It does seem likely that Bowler will now be on the move. Blackpool seem resigned to losing their star man and clubs are ready to pounce.
The Reds could certainly do a lot worse. Right now, the squad is short of natural wingers and Cooper is restricted somewhat to playing the 3-4-1-2 system that has served him so well.
As a result, the signing of a natural winger wouldn’t be a bad thing. Furthermore, Bowler would surely jump at a Premier League opportunity.
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