'Love you all': Morgan Rogers thanks Aston Villa after record £117m Chelsea move | OneFootball

Morgan Rogers has hailed his time at Aston Villa after completing a British record £117m transfer to Chelsea, confirmed on Tuesday night. The 23-year-old from Halesowen is now the most expensive English player of all time.

According to ExpressAndStar.com, the forward, an Albion academy graduate, spent two-and-a-half years at Villa after arriving from Middlesbrough for an initial £8m, making 127 appearances and scoring 31 goals. His final strike for the club came in May's 3-0 Europa League final win over Freiburg in Istanbul.

Rogers became an England regular during his Villa spell and featured in the squad that reached the World Cup semi-finals this summer. In a lengthy social media message, he thanked team-mates and supporters for backing him from day one and described representing the city’s biggest club as a source of pride.

He reflected on lifting the trophy in Istanbul as one of the proudest moments of his career and expressed gratitude for the freedom to play his way. He added he would miss the dressing-room camaraderie that helped drive collective success.

Addressing fans, Rogers wrote of always giving everything at Villa Park and of appreciating support through good and bad, signing off that this was not goodbye but see you soon. Villa marked his departure by praising his impeccable behaviour and commitment and sent best wishes, noting he remains a core part of recent memories.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com