PROFILE | Jonathan Rowe – Marseille’s super sub | OneFootball

In modern football, a player going on strike to force a move away from a club has become a natural part of the ecosystem. It normally does not pass much comment, which makes Jonathan Rowe’s move so interesting. It is not often that an Englishman forces a move to a French club.

And yet this is exactly what happened over the summer when Rowe secured a transfer away from his formative club Norwich to join Marseille. The winger had had a successful first half of the year with The Canaries helping the Championship side reach the playoff semi-finals by scoring 13 and assisting four.

Norwich would fail to make it past Leeds as they collapsed to a 4-0 defeat in the second leg. The club expected to rely on the winger for the 2024/25 campaign as they hoped to find a way back into the Premier League. However, as the first day of the season arrived, Rowe refused to be a part of the matchday squad.

The winger’s head had been turned by the call of Les Phocéens. He looked a sure bet to become the starting left winger for the squad. However, has found his minutes limited since being signed for a fee reported to be around €15 million with add-ons included.

The exceptional performances from Luis Henrique have kept Rowe out of the starting lineup, but the Englishman has done his best to make it a difficult decision for head coach Roberto De Zerbi. Rowe has gained a reputation for making an immediate impact from the bench.

A costly performance

In his first minutes for the club, Rowe hit the post when he replaced Elye Wahi in the 2-2 draw with Reims. While in the game against Lyon, he captured the imagination of the supporters by scoring his first goal for a ten-man Marseille in the last minutes of the match, delivering a giddy 3-2 victory.

Rowe underscored his super-sub status when he provided Les Phocéens with the lead against Angers. A first start for the club followed the week after on the 20th of October against Montpellier, it would also mark the first assist that the Englishman registered as he played his part in the 5-0 demolition.

However, Rowe would only start two more times. The winger was somewhat of a victim of an unconvincing performance against AJ Auxerre and has seen his minutes limited since then. Still, the season is long and Rowe will likely be provided with far more chances.

GFFN | Nick Hartland