Three at the back? Four at the back? How would Xabi Alonso get the best out of Chelsea's new signing, Morgan Rogers? | OneFootball

Chelsea complete swift record-breaking transfer for Morgan Rogers. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Morgan Rogers' versatility makes him an asset to Chelsea, but Xabi Alonso would certainly want to develop a system to get the best out of the club's record signing.

Chelsea announced Rogers’ signing from Aston Villa on Tuesday, on a record-breaking deal worth £117 million.

This puts him at the top of the list of the most expensive British players, beating Elliot Anderson’s £116m transfer to Manchester City.

The Blues also confirmed that the 23-year-old has signed a seven-year contract, which includes an option of a further year, tying him to the club until 2033.

New Chelsea manager Alonso will certainly welcome such an addition to his squad, as the club looks to bounce back after a disappointing season.

Rogers, at least, is clearly looking forward to playing under the Spaniard.

"I'm really excited about the project with the new manager, the players we've got and where the club is heading," the playmaker told Chelsea’s in-house media team in his first interview since joining.

"That's why I'm here, and I can't wait to get started.”

The Chelsea fans, unfortunately, may have to wait to see the club’s latest signing in action with his new teammates.

Due to his involvement in England’s 2026 World Cup campaign, Rogers is expected to be given some time off and is set to miss out on Chelsea’s pre-season tour in Australia and Asia.

That said, it is never too soon to make predictions on how the England international could fit into Alonso’s system at Chelsea.

A wide number 10 alongside Cole Palmer

Alonso made his name on the touchline at Bayer Leverkusen, mostly deploying a 3-4-2-1 formation.

This structure, which features two number 10s, would certainly suit both Rogers and his best friend, Palmer.

The two Manchester City academy products are central playmakers who like to drift wide. The former prefers to move to the left flank, while the latter usually operates on the right side of the pitch.

This formation, however, would come at the expense of the wingers in the squad, such as Estevao and Jamie Gittens.

Fortunately for these wide players, Alonso has proved flexible in his systems.

Morgan Rogers was involved with England at the 2026 World Cup, which will delay his link-up with the Chelsea squad in pre-season. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Nathan Ray Seebeck

Slotting in as more traditional left winger

After experimenting with three-at-the-back formations during the Club World Cup following his arrival at Real Madrid last summer, Alonso was quick to revert to a 4-3-3 as the season started.

Alonso also tried other systems, such as 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1, before his early departure from Real Madrid in January after inconsistent results.

If Alonso planned to use a back-four formation, Rogers would likely be positioned on the left flank.

This is the one attacking position with which Chelsea had quite a lot of problems throughout last season, as neither Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, nor Pedro Neto performed consistently in this area.

While this is not Rogers’ primary role at Villa, having played 33 times as a number 10 last season, he still featured 18 times on the left wing in this period.

Impressively, his output from the left wing, five goals and four assists, is comparable to his contributions from the central position (eight goals and eight assists).

Rogers has also featured on the right and even as a centre-forward for Villa last season, but Chelsea clearly have better options at their disposal in these positions.