JONATHAN Rowe completed his transfer to Bologna on Sunday after Marseille forced his departure following a dressing room altercation with teammate Adrien Rabiot.
Both players were placed on the transfer list after the incident which Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi described as resembling a “bar fight”.
Italian media reports indicate Bologna agreed a €19.5 million fee with Marseille for the 22-year-old forward.
Rowe has signed a four-year contract with the Serie A club after his controversial exit from the French side.
Marseille confirmed his departure through a brief website post that simply wished him “Good Luck”.
The England Under-21 international initially joined Marseille on loan from Norwich last season before making his move permanent this summer.
He scored three goals in twenty-eight appearances during his debut Ligue 1 campaign before the altercation ended his Marseille career.
The physical confrontation occurred after Marseille’s season-opening 1-0 defeat at Rennes, where they conceded a stoppage-time winner despite playing with an extra man for an hour.
De Zerbi expressed his shock at the incident, stating “It was a fight like I’ve never seen in all my years in football”.
“For the first time in my career, I didn’t know what to say or what to do,“ the coach added on Friday.
Club president Pablo Longoria described the altercation as “extremely violent” in comments to AFP.
Marseille recovered from the incident to defeat promoted Paris FC 5-2 on Saturday as they begin a season that includes Champions League football.
Bologna, the current Italian Cup holders, began their Serie A campaign with a 1-0 defeat at Roma on the same day. – AFP
