Morgan Rogers: How Chelsea hijacked Arsenal and the role Xabi Alonso played | OneFootball

Blues struck quickly to snap up one of English football’s most exciting talents

Morgan Rogers is joining Chelsea from Aston Villa in a transfer shocker this will take some beating this summer.

Chelsea have moved a break-neck speed to snap up Arsenal’s priority transfer target, parting with a club-record fee of £117million to send the Gunners scrambling towards other targets. The midfielder will undergo a medical on Monday.

But this was no impulse buy. Rogers has been a long-time target of Chelsea’s, who identified the midfielder many months ago as a potential signing who could add versatility and quality in the final third.

There is real belief and confidence behind the scenes that Rogers will continue to grow beyond the player who has been the standout playmaker within an impressive Aston Villa side for the past two and a half seasons.

Chelsea struck quickly and efficiently

And this was no surprise to Villa, who have been in talks with Arsenal but were also aware of Chelsea’s motives for some time.

Villa were fully braced for interested parties to accelerate their pursuit once England had been knocked out of the World Cup. Chelsea were quicker off the mark.

Paying no regard to the fact England still had to play Saturday’s third-place play-off against France in Miami, Chelsea contacted Rogers’s representatives and soon agreed personal terms with the player on a contract which would run to 2032 with the possibility of a further year.

In the first real sign of Xabi Alonso’s greater decision-making powers, compared to that of his predecessors, the new manager played a prominent role in the pursuit as the clubs agreed a record £117m fee for a British player.

Alonso’s plans for Rogers

The Europa League player of the season has been promised regular starts on the left wing, a position that has been lacking due to Alejandro Garnacho’s struggles and Jamie Gittens’s injury problems.

Rogers largely played as a No10 for Villa but appreciates that Chelsea’s poster boy - his close friend, England team-mate and celebration twin - Cole Palmer has made that position his own.

A call from Alonso to Rogers was significant in convincing the midfielder to join. Chelsea feel it is no coincidence that two top managers – Emery with Villa and Thomas Tuchel with England – have made the 23-year-old an important part of each team.

Transfer window panning out as planned

Intent on adding more proven quality to the squad, Chelsea headed into the transfer window in June confident that among their signings this summer would be at least two starting-level players.

In has come the highly-rated – and highly versatile – wing-back Marco Palestra from Atlanta, who can expect a prominent first-team role. And now Rogers becomes the second.

Chelsea struck while the iron is hot and believe they have struck gold, beating London rivals and Premier League champions Arsenal to the signing of one of English football’s most exciting players. Only 23, the sky is the limit for Rogers.