Chelsea told they overpaid for £117m Morgan Rogers in brutal verdict
Chelsea have been told they overpaid for Morgan Rogers after spending a British-record £117million to sign the England international this summer.
Rogers chose Stamford Bridge despite long-standing interest from Arsenal and signed a contract with Chelsea until 2033. The 23-year-old said the opportunity to work with Xabi Alonso and the direction of the club were major reasons behind his decision.
Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson, however, remains unconvinced by the price.
Speaking to The Sun, Johnson described Rogers’ decision to choose Chelsea over reigning champions Arsenal as surprising and questioned whether his performances have yet justified such an enormous fee.
A humble response from Morgan Rogers on being talked about as world-class 🤝 pic.twitter.com/AGXaXhe7oc
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 14, 2026
Chelsea handed £117m Morgan Rogers warning
Johnson still believes Chelsea have signed an excellent player, but feels the club paid beyond Rogers’ current value.
That judgement will inevitably follow the England international during his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Rogers arrives with substantial Premier League pedigree. Chelsea’s official announcement highlighted his 40 goal contributions across 85 league appearances for Aston Villa, while he also helped Villa win the Europa League before making the move to west London.
Alonso has shown considerably more confidence in the deal.
The Chelsea head coach previously described Rogers as a “great signing” and said there were few better options available for the role he wanted to strengthen. Alonso believes his ability to operate from the left, centrally or close to the striker can improve Chelsea’s attacking flexibility.
ReadChelsea has already examined three ways Alonso could use Rogers alongside Cole Palmer, with his versatility central to why Chelsea were prepared to invest so heavily.
Rogers now has the opportunity to begin answering questions over that price on the pitch.
The £117m figure guarantees scrutiny, but Chelsea clearly believe they have bought a player capable of becoming central to Alonso’s rebuild rather than simply paying for what he has already achieved.
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