Joe Cole has declared he is 'not been this excited' about Chelsea 'for a long time' and has praised 'unbelievable' summer signing Morgan Rogers. The former Blues midfielder's comments come after Chelsea's thrilling 6-3 Carabao Cup victory over Leeds United on Wednesday night, a match in which Rogers played a part in three goals.
Chelsea's record-breaking summer signing
Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season, failing to qualify for any European competition and going through two permanent managers. The appointment of former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso over the summer improved the mood at Stamford Bridge, as did the club's record-breaking signing of Morgan Rogers for £117m, making the England star the most expensive British player of all time.
Alonso's side began the 2026-27 season with three successive wins, beating Fulham and Brighton in the Premier League and Luton Town in the Carabao Cup. Their first defeat came at the weekend, a 2-1 loss to reigning champions Arsenal, but they responded with the 6-3 win over Leeds.
Cole's excitement and praise for Rogers
Speaking on talkSPORT about Chelsea's narrow defeat to Arsenal, Cole said: 'I thought it was a sensational game. I've not been this excited about a Chelsea team for a long time.'
'The front-three are blistering… I knew Morgan Rogers was a top player but he's been unbelievable. He's so powerful and the energy to get into the box from midfield is fantastic.'
Cole added: 'Chelsea didn't have much possession against Arsenal but they look like they can carve teams open at any moment. There's still problems defensively but I'm just excited.'
'If you add Moises Caicedo into that team at the weekend, I think Chelsea get something out of the game. Our front-three now is as good as anything in the Premier League and that's the first time in a long time I've been able to say that.'
Thrilling comeback against Leeds
Chelsea were on course for a disappointing Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Leeds, who took a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge through Tarik Muharemovic and Brenden Aaronson. But Alonso's side scored four goals in 12 second-half minutes to turn the tie around, with Cole Palmer netting a quickfire brace before Pedro Neto and Danny Welbeck got on the scoresheet, with Rogers playing a part in three of those.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave the visitors renewed belief with Leeds' third, but late goals from Valentin Barco and Welbeck sent Chelsea into the fourth round.
Alonso said after the match: 'I'm happy with the result and the reaction. There was so many changes, that was a risk. Things weren't going the way we planned, so we had to change. I take responsibility with the first half. The players that came on made an impact, for sure.'
Chelsea talisman Palmer added: 'The boss told us to up the intensity at half-time. He thought the first half was flat, so we upped the tempo. Leeds are a good team so it wasn't easy but we stepped it up. I think we still have a bit to go, but we are getting results which is the main thing.'
Chelsea, currently sitting fourth in the Premier League, return to action on Saturday against newly-promoted Hull City.
