Jonathan Rowe, the 23-year-old Atalanta forward, suffered a third consecutive Serie A defeat on Sunday as Juventus beat la Dea 2-0, with Francisco Conceicao and Gleison Bremer supplying the goals that left Maurizio Sarri's side stranded in 11th place on six points from five matches.
The result tightens the pressure around a move that was always going to demand patience. Rowe completed his transfer to Atalanta from Bologna on deadline day for a total fee of €40m, arriving with the expectation that Sarri's system would unlock a player whose profile — direct, mobile, capable of operating across the front line — suited the coach's preferred intensity. Three matches into his Serie A account with the club, he has yet to register a goal or an assist, carrying an average rating of 7.00. The numbers are modest, but they are not yet damning.
What complicates the picture is the team around him. Atalanta have conceded seven goals in five matches and won only twice, a return that reflects structural fragility rather than any single individual's shortcoming. Sarri acknowledged after the Juventus defeat that performances have been improving even as results have not, a distinction that matters when assessing a squad still absorbing a new coaching identity. A side that is improving but losing is a side in transition, and transition is rarely kind to forwards whose output is measured in goals and assists.
There is also a refereeing subplot worth noting. Serie A's head of officials, Orsato, acknowledged in a meeting with clubs that a penalty should have been awarded to Atalanta in an incident involving Kalulu and Rowe — confirmation that Rowe was central enough to a key moment to draw contact, even if the match record shows nothing for it.
His AI overall sits at 67 out of 100, with a potential of 72, figures that suggest a player with room to grow rather than one already operating at his ceiling. The international break arrives at a useful moment: Atalanta face Milan in October, a fixture that will tell considerably more about where this squad — and Rowe within it — actually stands.