Roberto De Zerbi has been a busy man since joining Marseille. The former Brighton boss is actively recruiting players to take the French club to new heights. Marseille struggled in the 2023-24 season and ended the league in eighth place. This was a bad finish for a side playing regular European football.
The likes of Mason Greenwood, Elye Wahi and a couple of other players have already made their mark for the French club. Marseille recruited another young talent on a season-long loan from Norwich City. 21-year-old winger, Jonathan Rowe, was the latest recruitment made by the French club. Rowe came through the academy and played his first full season for the club. He also earned a call-up for the England U21 team. The youngster showed a lot of consistency and caught the eye of many clubs. Let’s take a look at some of the visuals that show why this youngster is so highly rated in England.
Breakthrough 2023-24 season
Jonathan Rowe played his first full season for the Canaries. His debut came in the 2021-22 season when Norwich City were playing in the English Premier League. Rowe became a regular in the 2023-24 season. He played in 32 games for the club. The above pizza chart shows the percentile rank in comparison to other right-wingers in Tier 2 league football. Jonathan had a lower rank in the passing department. However, he made it up by having a good record in the attack and the defence.
Rowe is a versatile player. He looked more comfortable on the left flank. The youngster completed most of his dribbles from the left. Most of his box penetration runs also came from that particular side.
The 21-year-old made some great contributions to the defence. He covered the whole field to stop the opposition players from scoring goals. This is a clear indication of how much effort Rowe puts into the team.
Goal threat
Jonathan Rowe ended the season with 12 goals. The winger averaged just above two shots per 90 minutes and converted 23% of his chances. This plot measures the player’s ability to generate shots and convert them into goals. Players who take more shots and have a high goal conversion rate are significant offensive threats. Rowe often found space inside the box and converted some of his chances.
One area where the youngster would like to improve is in creating more goals. He ended the season with two assists. The above plot reflects the player’s skill in delivering precise passes into the penalty area, a critical aspect of breaking down defences. Rowe only averaged one pass to the penalty box per 90 minutes. He needs to attempt more passes to the penalty box.
Roberto De Zerbi will look to get the best out of this youngster. Rowe has a chance to impress the manager and earn a permanent move to the French club.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine