Morgan Rogers will follow in the footsteps of Eden Hazard at Chelsea after the club confirmed his shirt number following a £117m transfer from Aston Villa — a British record fee that came just weeks after Elliot Anderson broke the same mark.
The England midfielder, 23, completed his move to Stamford Bridge after Chelsea paid the fee that eclipsed Manchester City's £116m deal for Anderson. Both are English, both are 23, and both now hold the tag of most expensive British player of all time — Anderson briefly, until Rogers surpassed him.
“Morgan Rogers follows Eden Hazard's shirt number at Chelsea after £117m record transfer; Elliot Anderson briefly held record at £116m.”
Rogers arrives after a season in which he contributed 14 goals and 12 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions for Villa. The versatile attacking midfielder, comfortable as a number 10 or on the left wing, ranked second among midfielders in Europe's top five leagues for touches in the opposition box with 181. His 16 Premier League goal involvements placed him inside Europe's top 10 in that position.
Anderson, meanwhile, moved to City after a remarkable domestic campaign and an impressive World Cup, where he started all but one of England's eight matches as the Three Lions finished third. For Nottingham Forest last season, he led the Premier League for duels won (297), possessions won (306) and fouls won (80), while recording more touches (3,300) than any other player. He also topped the charts for passes completed as a central midfielder (2,038) and line-breaking passes (376). His four goals and four assists came alongside 54 chances created, including nine big chances.
Why such high fees for English midfielders? With traditional number nines seemingly becoming a dying breed, clubs are turning to other positions to provide the goal threat, the BBC reported. At 23, both Rogers and Anderson offer potential as well as being ready-made Premier League players. They are not alone — Adam Wharton and Alex Scott are among other English midfielders attracting attention.
Rogers will now wear a shirt number made famous by Eden Hazard at Chelsea, though the specific number has not been disclosed. The identity of his new number will be revealed officially in due course.