Former scout tells Arsenal ‘song and dance’ for Rogers backfired – ‘Why the hell?’ | OneFootball

Former Premier League scout Bryan King has asked “why the hell” Arsenal didn’t sign Morgan Rogers after “making a song and dance” about their pursuit.

The Gunners placed Rogers towards the top of their shortlist for this summer. He was deemed one of the main men to push them further away from the chasing pack in the Premier League.

While they held conversations with the Aston Villa star, they didn’t want to pay above £100million, and Villa were adamant they were going to earn more than that for Rogers.

As a result, Arsenal never actually got to the point of making a bid for Rogers, with Chelsea stepping in and agreeing a fee before their London rivals had done anything concrete.

Former Premier League scout King can’t believe the Gunners didn’t push on.

He told Football Insider: “I mean I thought Arsenal were making all the song and dance about it, why the hell they never just went and signed him when you’re talking that kind of money.

“They paid £100m for [Declan] Rice so £17m more isn’t going to make a great deal of difference for the type of quality you’re going to get.

“You’re going to get the mainstay of the England midfield. But again, hesitation can be a bad thing in football, whether you’re playing or you’re looking for bringing new players. They hesitated. Chelsea have hijacked it.”

Arsenal shocked by Chelsea deal

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Blues’ ability to burst past them and agree a £117million deal for Rogers came as a shock to Arsenal.

He said: “For Arsenal, it’s a big surprise because they now have to react on the market.

“Mikel Arteta had direct conversations with Morgan Rogers over the last few months, and the player was a serious target. But Arsenal were always hoping to negotiate the price with Aston Villa.

“I can guarantee Arsenal’s intention was to bid around £90m, maybe a maximum of £100m, but never £117m (€138m, $157.5m).

“Chelsea decided to go all in immediately, and the only way to avoid an Arsenal counter-hijack was to complete the deal within 24 hours, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Indeed, Chelsea had hardly been mentioned in the same sentence as Rogers, while their London rivals were heavily involved.

But the Englishman will play his football at Stamford Bridge next summer, alongside fellow Manchester City academy graduate Cole Palmer, who he’s been friends with for years.