Morgan Rogers is set to be confirmed as a Chelsea player after the England forward underwent a medical in London on Monday, returning from the United States following the World Cup to sign a six-year contract with an option for a further year. The £117m move from Aston Villa was a genuine transfer window shock, with many expecting Arsenal to be the frontrunners for the 24-year-old, who was Villa’s most prized asset and had been widely expected to be available only for an English transfer record fee.
Chelsea, however, had been tracking Rogers for more than two years and quietly made him their top attacking target. They moved quickly after England’s semi-final defeat by Argentina, a 2-1 loss, out of the player’s desire to focus on the World Cup. A combined effort involving the club’s sporting directors, head coach Xabi Alonso and co-owner Behdad Eghbali helped secure a deal. Even Chelsea captain Reece James was making the club’s case from within the England camp, while those close to the negotiations say Cole Palmer was also aware of developments as, in Rogers’ words, “one of my best friends in life”.
“Morgan Rogers signs for Chelsea in £117m deal after Arsenal decline to match bid.”
The deal was underpinned by the strong relationship between Chelsea co-owner Eghbali and Aston Villa owner Nassef Sawiris, and was finalised on Saturday afternoon, shortly before Rogers took to the field in England’s bronze-medal victory over France. After the agreement, Arsenal were offered the chance to match the bid but they informed Villa they were committed to their lower valuation and were willing to let him join Chelsea on those terms. They will now consider alternative targets, including Paris St-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi.
Chelsea’s move also represents a recalibration of their transfer tactics. In his last interview in April, Eghbali accepted Chelsea needed “to add more ready-made players at this part of the project, to take (it) to the next level, to be consistent over time,” adding: “You tweak a model, you improve, you learn from mistakes.”
The ripple effects of Rogers’ departure are already being felt at Villa Park. The Brazil international João Gomes has joined Aston Villa in a £38m deal from Wolves, ending a three-and-a-half-year spell in which he made 130 appearances and earned 10 caps. Wolves technical director Matt Jackson said: “João deserves everything he gets from the game. He’s the type of professional that coaches love and players love, so he will go on to be the outstanding player that we know he is.” Gomes’s arrival follows the departure of Youri Tielemans to Manchester United.
United, meanwhile, are monitoring Newcastle’s Lewis Hall and Fulham’s Antonee Robinson to potentially strengthen Michael Carrick’s options at left-back. Hall, 21, has four England caps and was considered unfortunate not to be selected for the World Cup. Robinson, 29, made four appearances for Mauricio Pochettino’s USA squad. United have also signed 18-year-old winger Tynan Thompson from Tottenham for an initial fee of about £4m plus up to £4m in add-ons, with Spurs holding matching rights and a 15% sell-on clause. The England under-18s international has played seven times for his country’s youth side.