{"id":20682,"date":"2026-07-23T22:09:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T22:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=20682"},"modified":"2026-07-23T22:09:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T22:09:40","slug":"chelsea-paid-aston-villa-117m-for-morgan-rogers-is-he-the-right-fit-chelsea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=20682","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea paid Aston Villa \u00a3117m for Morgan Rogers. Is he the right fit? | Chelsea"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
\n
I<\/span>t quickly became apparent this summer that Aston Villa would not be holding on to Morgan Rogers. Having helped the club finish fourth in the Premier League and win the Europa League, the 23-year-old was in demand.<\/p>\n
Arsenal looked like his likeliest next destination, with the champions eager to strengthen the left side of their attack. The charm offensive came from many angles, with Martin \u00d8degaard, Mikel Arteta and the club\u2019s England players trying to sell the idea to Rogers. But, with Arsenal reluctant to meet Villa\u2019s asking price, Chelsea intervened and made Rogers the most expensive British player ever, surpassing the \u00a3116m that Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson earlier this summer.<\/p>\n
Xabi Alonso is new to Chelsea, so it is difficult to know exactly where Rogers will play. The versatile forward, who started out at West Brom before moving to Manchester City, Middlesbrough and then Villa, will probably be used in a variety of roles \u2013 often starting from the left but having opportunities to take up various attacking positions.<\/p>\n\n
Alonso predominantly used a 3-4-3 formation at Bayer Leverkusen and a 4-2-3-1 at Real Madrid. If Chelsea play with three at the back, Rogers will be the left-sided No 10 in the team; if they use a four-man defence, he will start slightly wider but with the freedom to come inside \u2013 or he might even occupy the central role.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
If Alonso goes with the style he used at Leverkusen, Rogers might not be the best fit. During Alonso\u2019s two full seasons in the Bundesliga, the team averaged 62.1% (2023-24) and 59.6% (2024-25) possession. During their title-winning campaign in 2023-24, they went unbeaten all season while dominating the ball and moving up the pitch slowly.<\/p>\n
They were set up to patiently build with lots of passes, win back possession quickly if they lost it and keep the ball as close to the opposition\u2019s goal as possible. They made 367 high turnovers, which was 54 more than any other side. This system works best with attacking players who are tidy and intricate in tight spaces. However, Rogers is at his most effective when he can use his pace and gallop into space.<\/p>\n
His dribble completion rate last season was 34.2%, which was nothing to shout about. And his completion rate for passes under pressure was 73.4% \u2013 again not exceptional. Of the 161 forwards and midfielders who attempted at least 300 passes under pressure last season, Rogers ranked 143rd. The statistics suggest he is not particularly effective in close-quarters engagements.<\/p>\n\n
With space to attack, Rogers is a threat. He made 223 progressive carries last season, the 10th highest among Premier League forwards, wingers and attacking midfielders. Only Cody Gakpo (41) and Matheus Cunha (35) had more carries that ended in shots than Rogers (30). He also created 16 chances for teammates after a carry: only 11 players created more. Rogers\u2019 combined 46 chances created and shots taken following carries put him behind just J\u00e9r\u00e9my Doku (58), Gakpo (57) and Bukayo Saka (56). Alonso\u2019s passing style may not bring the best from Rogers.<\/p>\n
There are reasons for optimism though. Rogers is frequently on the move and that makes him difficult to track. Only four players made more off-ball runs in the league last season; his 160 off-ball runs ending in the box was the eighth highest in the division.<\/p>\n