Morgan Rogers has joined Chelsea from Aston Villa for a fee of £117m, signing a seven-year deal to become the Blues' record signing. The 23-year-old England international was persuaded to move to Stamford Bridge in part by the opportunity to work with new manager Xabi Alonso.
Rogers chooses Chelsea over Arsenal
A deal was agreed on Saturday for Rogers to move to west London, with Chelsea beating Arsenal to his signature. Arsenal had been in talks and were considered favourites to sign the versatile forward. Rogers, who just returned from helping England to a third-place finish at the World Cup, said he has always admired Chelsea.
He told Chelsea's website: "I'm so excited. For me, Chelsea are the biggest club in London and a club I've always admired since I was a kid. I'm really excited about the project with the new manager, the players we've got and where the club is heading. That's why I'm here and I can't wait to get started."
Key role for Alonso
It is understood that the chance to work with Alonso, a two-time Champions League winner as a player with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, was a key factor in Rogers' decision. Alonso was hired partly to attract top talent to Chelsea. Rogers started in England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina and the 6-4 win over France that secured the bronze medal.
Rogers' rapid rise at Villa
A versatile forward who can play multiple attacking roles, Rogers enjoyed a rapid rise at Villa Park after moving from Middlesbrough in January 2024. He helped fire Villa to a top-four finish and the Europa League last season, scoring 31 times in 125 appearances under Unai Emery.
The deal is one of the most significant buys of Chelsea owners BlueCo's four-year reign. Co-owner Behdad Eghbali indicated last season that the club had learned lessons from an underwhelming campaign where they finished 10th and were thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16. They aim to target players who can help challenge for the title.
Summer spending spree
Rogers becomes the fourth signing of the summer for Chelsea, following defender Marco Palestra, striker Emmanuel Emegha and winger Geovany Quenda. The deal is arguably the biggest since Cole Palmer's arrival from Manchester City in 2023. In June, Chelsea failed in an attempt to reunite Alonso with Sunderland's Granit Xhaka, as they were unwilling to meet the Black Cats' valuation for the 34-year-old.
