{"id":18864,"date":"2026-07-19T14:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T14:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=18864"},"modified":"2026-07-19T14:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T14:46:10","slug":"the-surprise-chelsea-winner-of-morgan-rogers-deal-if-xabi-alonso-keeps-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=18864","title":{"rendered":"The surprise Chelsea winner of Morgan Rogers deal, if Xabi Alonso keeps him"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"post-377733\">\n<div class=\"article-follow\">\n<div class=\"article-sharing google-follow\">  <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"28\" height=\"28\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechelseachronicle.com\/wp-content\/themes\/grv-media\/img\/google-discover.svg\" alt=\"\"\/> <span>Add as preferred source on Google<\/span>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Morgan Rogers\u2019 imminent arrival at Chelsea is several things. A huge coup, a signal of intent from BlueCo and perhaps a warning to some of Chelsea\u2019s current attackers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rogers has agreed a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea prepare to splash \u00a3117m on the England international. The move will see Rogers become the fourth-most-expensive transfer of all time.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-grvmedia-grv-video GRVMultiVideo\"\/>\n<section class=\"grv-talking-point\" data-trigger=\"vue-sidebar\" data-story-id=\"a7ff3fe3-a05c-423f-9e8c-99ae14865441\" data-story-name=\"Chelsea Transfers\" data-comment-id=\"f547853c-9203-45a5-8904-93e45e77bef6\" data-story-slug=\"chelsea-transfers\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__inner\">\n<header class=\"grv-talking-point__header\">  <\/header>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__content\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__cta\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-wrap\">\n<p><h3 class=\"grv-talking-point__title\">DISCUSS: In this current market, Rogers is a bargain \ud83d\udc40<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Match-report-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-377664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Match-report-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Match-report-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Match-report-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Match-report-912x1140.png 912w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Match-report-600x750.png 600w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Match-report.png 1080w\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>It is a real signal of intent, and a major coup for BlueCo. Despite failing to qualify for Europe, Chelsea have managed to convince Rogers to pick them over Arsenal, despite the Gunners winning the league title.<\/p>\n<p>It is a reminder to the rest of the league that Chelsea still boast huge pulling power, even in their current situation. His signing will also mean some players will leave, but for Liam Delap, it could be a real win.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-liam-delap-is-the-real-winner-from-morgan-rogers-arrival\">Why Liam Delap is the real winner from Morgan Rogers\u2019 arrival<\/h2>\n<p>Chelsea pitched the left-wing role to Rogers in talks, and the signing almost certainly condemns the departure of Alejandro Garnacho. Jesse Derry has already left the club to join Sporting Lisbon on loan.<\/p>\n<p>Jamie Gittens may have scored against Crawley on Saturday, but his future is also likely to be in doubt. But for Delap, it may be the boost he needs to kickstart his Chelsea spell after a poor first season.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-getty-images-media\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2171156707-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"England v Austria - U21 International Friendly\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2171156707-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2171156707-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2171156707-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2171156707-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2171156707-1140x760.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2171156707-750x500.jpg 750w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"LUTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 09: Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap of England during the U21 international friendly match between England and Austria at Kenilworth Road on September 09, 2024 in Luton, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse\/Getty Images)\">Photo by James Gill \u2013 Danehouse\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like Gittens, Delap scored for Chelsea against Crawley with Xabi Alonso yet to make a decision on the striker. But Rogers and Delap have a strong relationship, proven by Delap\u2019s numbers alongside Rogers.<\/p>\n<p>While Rogers and Delap have never played together at senior level, they have combined 12 times for Man City\u2019s second string and England\u2019s U21 side. In that time, Delap has scored five times and laid on an assist.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pre-season-is-pivotal-for-delap-as-alonso-watches-on\">Pre-season is pivotal for Delap as Alonso watches on<\/h2>\n<p>An average of a goal every 171 minutes for Delap while alongside Rogers. Impressive stats that will not have gone unnoticed by those at Chelsea, who will want Delap to come good and increase resale value.<\/p>\n<section class=\"grv-talking-point\" data-trigger=\"vue-sidebar\" data-story-id=\"5a9c74ee-9dfb-4c17-80a3-f12c2bcadb5e\" data-story-name=\"Talk Chelsea\" data-comment-id=\"781886b7-1151-45cc-9007-9d2fbacd4272\" data-story-slug=\"talk-chelsea\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__inner\">\n<header class=\"grv-talking-point__header\">  <\/header>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__content\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__cta\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-wrap\">\n<p><h3 class=\"grv-talking-point__title\">Realistically, how much is Liam Delap worth?\ud83e\udd14<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/transfer-rumour-819x1024.png\" alt=\"Liam Delap price tag at Chelsea\" class=\"wp-image-373125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/transfer-rumour-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/transfer-rumour-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/transfer-rumour-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/transfer-rumour-912x1140.png 912w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/transfer-rumour-600x750.png 600w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/transfer-rumour.png 1080w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"(Photo by Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)\">Photo by Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>This summer is key for Delap. He\u2019s made the ideal start, scoring in Alonso\u2019s first game as Chelsea boss. With Emmanuel Emegha also scoring, however, Delap will be keen to prove he can be second choice.<\/p>\n<p>Joao Pedro is going to start, but Delap wants to fight for his place amid interest from five other Premier League clubs. The signing of Rogers may just give Delap the service he needs to become a Blues success.<\/p>\n<div class=\"see-more-wrapper lazy see-more-open see-more-blank extra-content\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.thechelseachronicle.com\/columnist\/the-surprise-winner-of-chelsea-signing-morgan-rogers-if-xabi-alonso-keeps-him\/none\" data-type=\"subscribe\">\n<div class=\"see-more subscribe\">\n<figure class=\"newsletter\">\n<div><svg class=\"loading\" width=\"118\" height=\"36\" viewbox=\"0 0 118 36\"><use href=\"#dots-svg\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<div class=\"signup\"><span class=\"hf\">Join Our Newsletter<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><script>grvLoadAnalytics = () => {(function(d,s,i){var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0),j=d.createElement(s);j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/gtag\/js?id=\"+i;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(document,'script','G-E7VRWQHDP6');(function(d,s,i){if(!\/callback=in\/.test(window.location.search)){var e=d.createElement(s);var n=d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0);e.type=\"text\/javascript\";e.async=true;e.src=\"https:\/\/static.chartbeat.com\/js\/chartbeat.js\";n.parentNode.insertBefore(e,n);}})(document,\"script\",\"G-E7VRWQHDP6\");(function(){let s=document.createElement(\"script\");s.async=true;s.dataset.domain=\"thechelseachronicle.com\/MFj4XQ\";s.src=\"https:\/\/api.publytics.net\/js\/script.manual.ping.min.js\";document.getElementsByTagName(\"head\")(0).appendChild(s);})();if(!\/callback=in\/.test(window.location.search)){setTimeout(function(){!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');fbq('init','663509325503632');fbq('track','PageView');fbq('track','ViewContent',{content_name:'The surprise Chelsea winner of Morgan Rogers deal, if Xabi Alonso keeps him',content_category:'Opinion',content_ids:(377733,\"liam-delap\",\"morgan-rogers\"),content_type:'post',});},3000);}}<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add as preferred source on Google Morgan Rogers\u2019 imminent arrival at Chelsea is several things&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}