Jonathan Rowe: A €45m wildcard winger for Man Utd?

Tom Weber

• Updated: 12 Apr 2026 09:35 BST
• 7 min read

Analysis

Bologna winger Jonathan Rowe has been making headlines in Italy since his brilliant performance against Aston Villa in the Europa League.

The 22-year-old was the standout performer on Thursday night as Bologna fell to a hugely disappointing 3-1 home loss despite being the better team. Unlike Aston Villa, the Serie A side were not clinical enough in front of goal.

Rowe did manage to get on the scoresheet, though, halving the deficit in the 90th minute to give Bologna hope of a late comeback. However, Ollie Watkins' second strike of the evening nipped the Rossoblu's fightback in the bud.

Current ETV

Jonathan Rowe

F (L), M (RL)

Bologna

Jonathan Rowe

F (L), M (RL)

Bologna

€18.2M

ETV Range

€16.4M - €20M

View full profile

It wasn't just his goal - a well-taken strike from the edge of the box after cutting inside from his left-wing position - but his overall performance that won the young Englishman plaudits.

Rowe had Matty Cash on toast and caused havoc in the Villa defence all game. He successfully completed four of his five dribbles and forced Emiliano Martinez into a fingertip save 10 minutes before he finally managed to beat the Argentine.

Rowe's unusual career path

Rowe, of course, was not an unknown quantity to Villa heading into the game. He played 20 minutes against them earlier in the season, when Bologna kicked off their Europa League campaign at Villa Park.

He also had a brief cameo against them in early 2022, when he was just breaking into the Norwich City first team. The fact that he is so far only a footnote in Premier League history - he played 208 minutes in 2021/22 - is due to his decision to leave England in 2024.

Norwich were relegated in 2022, and this proved to be a blessing in disguise for the academy graduate as he was increasingly afforded senior opportunities. By the 2023/24 season, he had become one of the Canaries' star attackers, scoring 12 times in 32 Championship appearances.

Despite being a winger, Rowe has always been more of a finisher than a provider. His explosiveness and coolness in front of goal saw one Norwich fan on social media jokingly label him the "EFL Mbappe" in 2023/24.

Following this breakout season, Rowe decided to turn down Premier League interest and instead headed to France, where he linked up with Roberto de Zerbi at Marseille.

Rowe had his moments during his first season at OM, but he ultimately failed to establish himself as a regular starter. Nevertheless, his loan became permanent for €14.5 million after the campaign.

However, his spell at Marseille proved short-lived. A violent dressing-room altercation with teammate Adrien Rabiot after the start of the new season saw both banished from the first team and sold before the 2025 summer window closed.

Both moved to Italy, with Rabiot joining AC Milan and Rowe heading to Bologna for €17m, making him the third-most-expensive signing in club history.

Rowe attracting Premier League interest

Following his exceptional performance against Villa, Rowe is now the talk of the town in Bologna. While his statistics this season are nothing to write home about - he has scored seven goals and provided four assists - it is his overall play and potential that is causing excitement.

Rowe can still get better and, if he refines his skillset further, he is bound to become a very good winger. Villa boss Unai Emery recognised this, too. "He is playing progressively better this season," he said after the game and noted that Rowe was more of a nuisance than expected.

The 22-year-old has been particularly effective in the Europa League, where he has netted four goals and produced two assists. Against AS Roma in the previous round, he set up a goal in each leg and scored himself in the second.

The underlying numbers back up that Rowe is a hugely promising talent. According to data analytics firm SciSports, Rowe has been among the top wingers in both Serie A and the Europa League this term.

His SciSkill rating, which is calculated by analysing hundreds of in-game data points, has steadily increased over the past six months, illustrating that he is getting better and better. His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has plateaued at €18.2m in recent months.

Bologna are very happy with Rowe's development and, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, do not wish to sell the winger this summer. Their price tag of €45m seems prohibitive in relation to his ETV, but of course, it is chump change to Premier League clubs.

And indeed, English clubs are not just taking note of Rowe's development, they are "crazy" about him, it is claimed. Scouts from at least three unnamed Premier League sides were in attendance to watch Bologna's match with Villa on Thursday.

It is not clear which teams are interested in the former Norwich prospect, though it has been suggested that Villa themselves could target him as a potential replacement for Morgan Rogers should he be sold this summer.

We can consult SciSports again to get a clearer picture of which clubs would suit Rowe well. SciSports' Career Advice tool analyses game time prospects, playing style and development opportunities to calculate a Club Fit rating.

Rowe's best option would be a move to Napoli with a whopping score of 86 out of 100, but they are, of course, not in the Premier League. The first English clubs are not far off, however.

Both Leeds United and Nottingham Forest clock in with a Club Fit rating of 83, followed by Man Utd with 81. Tottenham complete his top five with a score of 80.

Man Utd are known to be in the market for a left-winger, so Rowe could be a wildcard signing. He would certainly be cheaper than, say, €100m-rated Yan Diomande.

That said, SciSports is not sure that Rowe is at the required level of Man Utd yet. While he would be a good stylistic fit, he is not yet in the same tier as the likes of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Consequently, a transfer to a smaller Premier League side like Forest or Leeds would be a smarter move for the Bologna star.

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