1 hour ago
2
Morgan Rogers has long been on the radar of Chelsea's and the form he is showing this season is too good to ignore at Stamford Bridge
Morgan Rogers has been one of the Premier League's best players this season with the England international's form inspiring a red-hot Aston Villa side.
The 23-year-old has scored seven goals this season in the Premier League - including four in his last two - for Villa. Rogers, who signed a new contract at Villa Park last month, is in such magnificent form that people are talking about where his future may lie.
Chelsea are long-term admirers of Rogers and considered a move for him in the summer transfer window, though there was an acceptance he was going to be too expensive. Now, after a splendid few months to start the season and his contract situation in a stronger place, Rogers is set to cost even more.
But that should not put the Blues off. If there were any doubts over Rogers and his potential before the season started, there should be very few now. The versatile forward has been predominantly used from the left wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Unai Emery this season and has excelled.
While Chelsea have strong options in Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens on the left-hand side, there is no doubting more quality could be added in that area. The January window seems highly unlikely. Villa will not want to sell Rogers, let alone midway through a season. If they were to ever be convinced, the summer seems a more feasible period for Chelsea.
Enzo Maresca worked with Rogers during their time at Manchester City's academy. Rogers did not play too much under the Italian, but in an interview with The Athletic last year, the England attacker hailed the now Chelsea head coach's methods: "I didn’t play a lot under him but I did train under him. He had the perfect mix of getting the best out of players while within that structure. I learned a lot."
Joe Shields, Chelsea's co-director of recruitment and talent, also worked with Rogers in Manchester and is understood to be a huge admirer of the Villa star to this day. The Blues will not rush into a deal with Rogers and pay what they deem to be over the odds, meaning it might be a while until said interest is acted upon, but it seems almost inevitable that one day the club will push to sign him.
Not only would he be a starting left winger for Chelsea but he could also provide cover for, or be an alternative to, Cole Palmer in the No.10 role. As well as that, Rogers and Palmer, who both regularly pull out the 'cold' celebration, are close friends. Connect the dots.
Bobby is a Trainee Football Writer and joined the team in May 2021.
English (US) ·