Morgan Rogers rejected Premier League champions Arsenal and a direct pitch from Mikel Arteta in favour of a move to Chelsea. The 23-year-old midfielder, who has been one of the most influential players in the Premier League since his £15m move from Middlesbrough, scored 28 goals over the last two seasons. His form earned him a place in England's World Cup squad, where he emerged as a key member, featuring in all but one of the Three Lions' games.
Record-breaking deal
Chelsea swooped in to agree a record-breaking £117m deal, ending the uncertainty over Rogers' future. He is due to have a medical at Stamford Bridge on Monday after signing a six-year contract. Once the deal goes through, Rogers will become the most expensive English player of all time, surpassing the £116m Manchester City paid to sign his England teammate Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. He will also become Chelsea's most expensive signing, eclipsing the £107m spent on Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez three years ago.
Why Rogers chose Chelsea over Arsenal
Arsenal pushed hard to secure Rogers' signature this summer. Arteta identified him as one of his main targets as he looks to bolster an Arsenal squad that won the Premier League last season and reached the Champions League final. Arsenal's pursuit even involved a 'direct chat' with the Gunners boss, according to The Sun, in which Arteta 'laid out his vision for integrating him into the side'. However, new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso also spoke privately to Rogers and 'delivered a stronger pitch' to help convince him to snub Arsenal. It is claimed the 'driving motivation' for Rogers was to compete and ultimately win major trophies, and he believes he can do just that at Chelsea after being impressed by Alonso's 'project'.
While Arsenal won the Premier League last season and narrowly missed out on the Champions League – losing on penalties in the final against PSG – Chelsea finished just 10th, failing to qualify for any European competition. But Rogers was nevertheless 'convinced' Chelsea are on their way back to the top after speaking to Alonso, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder.
Alonso's vision
During his first press conference as Chelsea manager, Alonso said: 'Firstly, I want to say thank you to everyone for the welcome. The excitement [for taking the job] is very simple, it's the club, the squad, and the opportunity to come to this great club. I want to be part of this club, working together with the sporting directors, with the players and with the staff around me in Cobham. We want to create excitement [in the team], to have that bond with the supporters and to win games and be successful. I see this as a club with great potential. There is a strong base here already and now we want to keep building to ensure we are competitive on the pitch. I feel really honoured and privileged [to be here] and I can't wait to get to work.'
Clubs were lining up to sign Rogers before the World Cup, with Arsenal joined in the race by Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. The midfielder provided a superb assist for Anthony Gordon's semi-final goal that looked to have sent England into their first World Cup final since 1966 until Argentina's late comeback stunned Thomas Tuchel's side.
