Exit mooted: How is Jon Rowe getting on after leaving Norwich City? | OneFootball

FLW have looked at how Rowe is faring in France since his summer move from the Canaries

Tricky winger Jon Rowe's outstanding Norwich City form last season saw him earn a move to Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille in the summer window, but his switch to the French giants has not quite gone to plan so far.

Rowe was a product of the Canaries' youth setup, and made his debut for his boyhood club in the Premier League in 2021 after he had signed his first professional contract earlier that year.

He suffered an injury-hit first full senior season at Carrow Road, but then fully broke through into David Wagner's team at the start of last season and went on to win numerous individual awards while firing Norwich to a top six finish with 13 goals and three assists in 38 games in all competitions.

The England under-21 international was the subject of major transfer interest throughout last summer, as a result, but his time in East Anglia came to a messy end in August as boss Johannes Hoff Thorup revealed that he had refused to play ahead of his move to Marseille, which was then confirmed later in the window as an initial season-long loan with a reported obligation to buy for £17 million.

Jon Rowe started on a high at Marseille but is now out-of-favour

Rowe made his Marseille debut just two days after he joined the club, with an appearance off the bench against Stade Reims, then went on to score a spectacular first goal for the Phocaeans in his fourth appearance with an added-time winner in the Derby des Olympiques against Lyon on September 22.

It was a dream maiden strike for the 21-year-old as wild celebrations were sparked in Marseille, and one that he will not forget in a hurry as he tried to sum up his emotions following the goal in an interview after the game.

"I can’t even describe it. I’m still trying to put the words together to explain how I felt throughout that whole game, from the sending-off to the (missed Lacazette) penalty to their equaliser," he told The Athletic.

"It showed the whole reason I decided to come to Marseille. It screams passion, it screams love of football and that really resonates with my morals in the game.

"The fan reaction, the staff, the players, this is why I’m supposed to be here. I didn’t really know what to do when I scored, everything just happened so quickly.”

Unfortunately for Rowe, such an important goal being scored so early in his time at Marseille has probably worked against him as the campaign has gone on, as he has been unable to reach those heights once again over the last five months despite being expected to kick on under Roberto De Zerbi.

He scored the opener in a 1-1 draw against Angers two weeks after his first goal, then followed that up with assists in wins against Montpellier and Nantes. That latter contribution on November 3 was, however, his last in the league for the club up to now.

Rowe has not started for the Phocaeans in either Ligue 1 or the Coupe de France since an early November clash against Angers, and has played just 97 minutes from the bench in the club's last nine outings.

In a pretty dramatic turn of events, just mere months after his big move to the continent, GFFN, via L'Equipe, reported in January that Rowe had lost credit in the eyes of boss De Zerbi, and Marseille were sounding out the market in order to find a new destination for the former Norwich winger.

Rowe has remained at the Stade Velodrome past the winter window though, and now looks set to stay at the club for the duration of the campaign, but will likely see out the season as an option from the bench. His future in the south-east of France looks pretty uncertain past the summer, as it stands.

Rowe has still remained active on social media since his Marseille move

A parameter of how well a player has settled in at a new club is usually how much they have posted to their social media accounts about the move, and Rowe has been quick to take to his Instagram account to connect with Marseille fans, despite the adversity he has faced in recent months.

His first two posts on Instagram as an Olympien came the day after he had officially signed, one with a caption that read: "De nouveaux départs passionnants ! 🤍🩵 All Glory to God†," and another that simply stated: "✍️ Allez L’OM."

He has continued to connect with supporters in a similar vein, with a celebratory post that amassed over 45 thousand likes after his historic last-ditch winner against rivals Lyon in September.

Marseille themselves have also moved to display their 21-year-old winger's talents on their official club pages, with numerous compilations of his star turns in white and blue posted to their 3.5 million followers on Instagram since his arrival.

However, simply going off his social media activity, it does seem as if the recent developments over the uncertainty of his place in Roberto De Zerbi's squad may have unsettled Rowe.

His last Instagram post was over five weeks ago, on January 3, which is unusual, as he had posted at least twice in every previous month since his move to France, and was always active on the platform as a Norwich player.

Whether he will be able to force his way back into his plans for the rest of the season remains to be seen, but it does look unlikely, as the Phocaeans boss has started to play with wing-backs in a 3-4-1-2 formation with his team impressing in second place, which does not suit Rowe's attributes or positional traits.