Football League World
·25 October 2024
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·25 October 2024
Jon Rowe may not have moved to Elland Road during the summer but a move to West Yorkshire may not be off the cards entirely, according to Don Goodman.
Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes Leeds United could potentially reignite their interest in Marseille winger Jonathan Rowe in the future.
He made this prediction to MOT Leeds News, after seeing the Whites miss out on a summer deal for the Englishman.
The 21-year-old was previously the subject of interest from the West Yorkshire side back in August, with Daniel Farke's side poised to make a £7m offer to Norwich City for him at that point, according to The Telegraph.
With Jaidon Anthony's loan spell coming to an end and Crysencio Summerville making the move to West Ham United, Leeds were in desperate need of more wide players at that point, even though they still had Willy Gnonto and Dan James at their disposal.
The Whites weren't the only side in the race for Rowe though - and Marseille came out as the winners in the end - striking a £17m loan-to-buy deal for the player.
£14m looks set to be paid up front when he joins permanently, with a further £3m potentially set to come in add-ons. As part of that deal, Norwich also hold a sell-on clause, and this deal proved to be too good to turn down in the end.
Rowe hadn't been involved during the 2024/25 campaign for the Canaries anywhere, having been missing from their matchday squad for their opening game of the season against Oxford United.
This omission increased speculation about his future and after that, it seemed inevitable that he would move on.
His next destination remained uncertain until Marseille agreed a deal, but he is in France now and involved under Roberto De Zerbi, even scoring a memorable winner away at Lyon.
He also managed to get himself on the scoresheet against Angers - and has seemingly enjoyed a fairly fruitful spell at his current side.
Considering he was a real success at Norwich last season, it may not be a surprise that he has been able to step up to the top level of French football.
With Leeds taking an interest in Rowe in the summer, Goodman believes they could potentially make another move for him in the future, potentially as a Premier League team.
He told MOT Leeds News: "I applaud Leeds for sticking to their guns in the summer and I have no doubt Rowe will come back to the UK in the not-too-distant future.
"If that happens, Leeds may be there for him again, and this time possibly as a Premier League club."
Leeds remain in the Championship at this point, but are strong contenders to secure a top-tier return at the end of the season, having come so close last term.
A move to Leeds probably won't happen for a couple of years.
However, the Whites could be a top-flight team by then and they may have the resources to make a move for him at that point.
He probably won't come cheap, but he's a talent who is used to life in England, so he would probably settle into life in West Yorkshire fairly quickly.
It's a shame they missed out on him in the summer and it's something they may come to regret.
However, fellow wide man Largie Ramazani could prove to be a brilliant signing, and could go on to be a real star at Elland Road.