Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
New signing Morgan Rogers is set to make his competitive debut for Chelsea on Monday against Fulham, and the circumstances that surround the game look perfect to allow him to thrive.
Rogers will have been delighted to find the net within 10 minutes of his only pre-season appearance for the Blues at Stamford Bridge against Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite not featuring on the tour of Australia and Asia, Rogers was busy building his fitness privately to make sure he is in the best place possible for gameweek one.
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Morgan Rogers may have been set up for perfect Chelsea debut
Chelsea start their season just a stone’s throw from their home stadium at Craven Cottage, with Fulham yet to complete any real transfer business when it comes to signing a new defender.
With Joachim Anderson suspended like Wesley Fofana, they are set to name a centre-back pairing of Calvin Bassey and Jorge Cuenca, with the former set to be on the right of the two.
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In his Premier League career, Bassey has played on that side of defence just once, in a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in October 2023.
Both goals Spurs scored came directly from Bassey giving the ball away, clearly struggling to pass out from the back with his weak foot.
His positioning was all over the place too, and a repeat of this scenario would give Rogers so much space to work with as he works off the left-hand-side.
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Rogers will want a quick start at Chelsea
The former Aston Villa man is expected to be part of a narrow front three alongside Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.
Plenty are tipping this attack to be the key catalyst for firing the Blues up the table this season, and getting off to a strong start will be important for everyone’s confidence.
Chelsea have settled on this back-three system under Xabi Alonso though, and look as if they are in good form going into the Premier League fixtures.
A big-money signing will always want as comfortable a debut as possible too, and circumstances may have fallen perfectly for Rogers against Fulham.