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It quickly became evident this summertime that Aston Villa would not beryllium holding connected to Morgan Rogers. Having helped nan nine decorativeness 4th successful nan Premier League and win nan Europa League, nan 23-year-old was successful demand.
Arsenal looked for illustration his likeliest adjacent destination, pinch nan champions eager to fortify nan near broadside of their attack. The charm violative came from galore angles, pinch Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Arteta and nan club’s England players trying to waste nan thought to Rogers. But, pinch Arsenal reluctant to meet Villa’s asking price, Chelsea intervened and made Rogers nan astir costly British subordinate ever, surpassing nan £116m that Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson earlier this summer.
Xabi Alonso is caller to Chelsea, truthful it is difficult to cognize precisely wherever Rogers will play. The versatile forward, who started retired astatine West Brom earlier moving to Manchester City, Middlesbrough and past Villa, will astir apt beryllium utilized successful a assortment of roles – often starting from nan near but having opportunities to return up various attacking positions.
Alonso predominantly utilized a 3-4-3 statement astatine Bayer Leverkusen and a 4-2-3-1 astatine Real Madrid. If Chelsea play pinch 3 astatine nan back, Rogers will beryllium nan left-sided No 10 successful nan team; if they usage a four-man defence, he will commencement somewhat wider but pinch nan state to travel wrong – aliases he mightiness moreover inhabit nan cardinal domiciled from clip to time.
If Alonso goes pinch nan style he utilized astatine Leverkusen, Rogers mightiness not beryllium nan champion fit. During Alonso’s 2 afloat seasons successful nan Bundesliga, nan squad averaged 62.1% (2023-24) and 59.6% (2024-25) possession. During their title-winning run successful 2023-24, they went unbeaten each play while dominating nan shot and moving up nan transportation slowly.
They were group up to patiently build pinch tons of passes, triumph backmost possession quickly if they mislaid it and support nan shot arsenic adjacent to nan opposition’s extremity arsenic possible. They made 367 precocious turnovers, which was 54 much than immoderate different side. This strategy useful champion pinch attacking players who are tidy and intricate successful tight spaces. However, Rogers is astatine his astir effective erstwhile he tin usage his gait and gallop into space.
His dribble completion complaint past play was conscionable 34.2%, which was thing to outcry about. And his completion complaint for passes nether unit was conscionable 73.4% – again not exceptional. Of nan 161 forwards and midfielders who attempted astatine slightest 300 passes nether unit past season, Rogers classed 143rd. The statistic propose he is not peculiarly effective successful close-quarters engagements.
With abstraction to attack, Rogers is simply a threat. He made 223 progressive carries past season, nan 10th highest among Premier League forwards, wingers and attacking midfielders. Only Cody Gakpo (41) and Matheus Cunha (35) had much carries that ended successful shots than Rogers (30). He besides created 16 chances for teammates aft a carry: only 11 players created more. Rogers’ mixed 46 chances created and shots taken pursuing carries put him down conscionable Jérémy Doku (58), Gakpo (57) and Bukayo Saka (56). Alonso’s passing style whitethorn not bring nan champion from Rogers.
There are reasons for optimism though. Rogers is often connected nan move and that makes him difficult to track. Only 4 players made much off-ball runs successful nan convention past season; his 160 off-ball runs ending successful nan container was nan eighth highest successful nan division.
He besides has nan imaginable to shape a bully narration pinch João Pedro. The Brazilian will astir apt beryllium nan focal constituent of nan squad and he is not a accepted No 9. He likes to driblet deep, nexus pinch teammates and beryllium a creator almost arsenic overmuch arsenic a finisher. With Pedro dropping back, location will beryllium room for Rogers to utilization beyond him: he made 258 runs successful down past season, nan 12th highest successful nan league.
Rogers’ beardown narration pinch Ollie Watkins bodes good for Chelsea. He created 20 open-play chances for Watkins past season, which was nan 2nd astir from 1 subordinate to different successful nan league. Wherever he has played, Rogers has developed an knowing pinch his teammates. He already has a adjacent relationship pinch Cole Palmer aft their clip together successful nan Manchester City academy.
Rogers’ different awesome property is his ball-striking ability. Since he made his Premier League debut successful February 2024, Rogers has scored 21 non-penalty goals from 14.7 non-penalty expected goals. His overperformance of +6.3 is nan 10th highest successful nan league.
Rogers has a awesome onslaught connected him and it could beryllium a gamechanger for Chelsea, peculiarly erstwhile they play teams employing a debased block. His 5 convention goals from extracurricular nan container since his Villa debut is bettered by conscionable six players. Few players are arsenic meticulous erstwhile shooting from distance. It was his changeable against Norway that led to Jude Bellingham’s winning extremity successful nan World Cup quarter-final.
Chelsea person paid an unthinkable magnitude of money for Rogers and location are reasons to wonderment if nan move will activity tactically. But Rogers has a wont of making an effect sloppy of nan context. He’s not a correct winger but he still made his beingness known for England against Argentina successful nan World Cup semi-final, mounting up Anthony Gordon’s opener from nan right.
Is he a £117m player? Perhaps not. Will he win playing nan aforesaid measurement he played astatine Villa? Perhaps not. But it’s difficult to ideate him not making a important effect astatine Stamford Bridge.
This is an article by Opta Analyst
