Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe have both been placed on the transfer list following a shocking bust-up after the club’s opening Ligue 1 defeat to Rennes.
The row broke out in the dressing room shortly after the 1-0 loss, with Rennes snatching a stoppage-time winner despite being down to ten men from the 31st minute. De Zerbi described the clash between the two players as something more like a “bar fight” than a normal football argument.
“I ask you this. What happens if, at your workplace, two people get into a fight? It was a bar fight, in front of the sporting director, in front of the coach, while one of our team-mates was on the ground suffering a medical emergency,” De Zerbi explained.
The Italian coach, who took charge of Marseille in 2024 after leaving Brighton, admitted he was stunned by the ferocity of the confrontation.
“No teeth were broken, but I’ve never seen anything like this in football. Even the club’s bodyguards had to step in to split them apart. Normally, they’re there to protect us from outsiders, not from ourselves,” he added.
Rabiot’s Mother Hits Back
Rabiot’s mother, Veronique, was not happy with the club’s decision to put her son on the transfer list. She called it a “betrayal” and went as far as comparing his situation to Marseille bringing in Mason Greenwood earlier this summer.
But De Zerbi was quick to defend his stance.
“I made Rabiot captain and treated him with more affection than my own son. To compare this to Greenwood’s case is unfair – we are talking about a fight at work, nothing to do with private life,” he said.
What’s Next for the Duo?
Jonathan Rowe, 22, joined Marseille from Norwich last year on loan before making his move permanent. The forward has scored three goals in 31 appearances and is now being linked with a switch to Bologna.
Adrien Rabiot, 30, signed for Marseille on a free transfer from Juventus last September and has since become a key figure, scoring 10 goals in 32 games. Capped 53 times by France, he has been linked with Monaco and Manchester United, who are in the market for a defensive midfielder.
A Rocky Start to the Season
This drama is the last thing Marseille needed after already losing their first game of the season. Both De Zerbi and club president Pablo Longoria called the fight “extremely violent,” so the club felt they had no choice but to act fast.
Now, with two key players on the way out, all eyes will be on how Marseille regroup and whether Rabiot or Rowe will secure big moves before the transfer window closes.
