"Would have him back" - Norwich City urged to take Jonathan Rowe action with potential £5m offer mooted | OneFootball

Jon Rowe has been mooted for a Canaries return despite his troublesome 2023 exit

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Norwich City have been told to re-sign winger Jonathan Rowe from Ligue 1 side Marseille this summer despite him being set to depart the club permanently at the end of the season, with the French side having an obligation to buy him when his loan deal ends.

Tricky wide man Rowe's outstanding Norwich form in 2023/24 saw him earn a loan move to Marseille in the summer window ahead of this season, but his switch to the French giants has not quite gone to plan so far.

He has struggled to make an impact in Ligue 1, and while the Phocaeans are set to land him on a permanent deal, as per the terms of the initial loan deal, it has previously been reported that they wanted to offload him in the January window due to his lack of impact.

The 22-year-old is set to be at somewhat of a crossroads this summer, but the Canaries may well be planning to take him back ahead of next term, after they caused a stir on social media last week by wishing him a Happy Birthday on X. The post was perceived as an unusual move, considering he is officially set to leave the club soon.

Norwich City transfer claim issued on Jon Rowe despite acrimonious 2024 departure

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.

Rowe, though, has struggled to make a real impact at the Ligue 1 club this season, especially relative to the high fee that Marseille are set to pay for his services this summer. He has made 27 appearances in all competitions, with three goals and assists each to his name, while boss Roberto De Zerbi has often preferred to play him off the bench rather than trusting him to start regularly.

It remains to be seen how Rowe's summer will pan out, with Marseille potentially set to allow him to leave despite securing his services full-time.

Norwich's recent post about him on social media has had supporters wondering if he is set to return to Carrow Road soon, and FLW's Canaries fan pundit, Zeke Downes, wants him to return to the club this summer, for the right fee, but believes that many supporters will not share the same opinion due to the way he left less than a year ago.

“I would have (Jon Rowe) back, personally, but I know a lot of fans wouldn’t,” Zeke told FLW.

“He obviously ruined his reputation a bit...well, a lot, but I think if we went to Marseille and offered them half of the money that they have just spent to buy him, so like £5 million, then I would do it. I would buy him back.

“That way, if it went well, we’d have that offer where we could sell him and make some money. If we bring him back on loan, that doesn’t really help Marseille out.

“With Sainz leaving, there is obviously a bit of a gap there, and Rowe already knows the club, we know that he can do it at this level.

“I would have him back, but I don’t think a lot of Norwich fans would.”

Jon Rowe has struggled at Marseille - returning to Norwich might be a wise career move

Rowe got off to a dream start with the Phocaeans, as he bagged an added-time winner in the Derby des Olympiques against Lyon on September 22 in just his fourth appearance for the club, but he has struggled to hit similar heights since that dream early moment.

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.

The 22-year-old has been handed just one starting berth in Ligue 1 since the turn of the year, despite recently netting in a win over Montpellier, leading to many questions around his future at the club and whether he made the right decision to leave the Canaries last summer.

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 De Zerbi, and Marseille were sounding out the market in order to find a new destination for the former Norwich winger, even though their obligation doesn't kick in until the summer.

Rowe has remained at the Stade Velodrome past the winter window though, and is set to see out the season as an option from the bench as the French side chase a top four finish and the Champions League qualification that goes with it.

Whether he will be able to force his way back into the club's plans ahead of next season remains to be seen, but it does look unlikely, with improvements set to be added in the transfer window if they are able to seal a place in Europe's premier club competition.

His future in the south-east of France looks pretty uncertain past the summer, as it stands, and while Marseille will have to sign him permanently after the campaign ends, it certainly seems feasible that he could be moved on in the months to come.

Norwich will no doubt be attentive to his situation in the summer, and their recent post on X may well be a hint regarding Rowe's potential future at the club, despite his troublesome exit last year.