Arsenal were linked with a big-money move for Morgan Rogers earlier this summer only to see Premier League rivals Chelsea swoop in and seal a deal instead for an eye-watering £117m
Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers has had a bright starts to life with Chelsea(Image: Getty Images)
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Xabi Alonso has hailed Morgan Rogers for his impact at Chelsea after beating Arsenal to his services. The England star completed a £117m move to Stamford Bridge in July.
He has had a brilliant start to life in West London, having netted his first goal for the club in the opening day win against Fulham, while he also notched an assist in the 4-3 victory against Brighton.
Speaking about the playmaker’s form, Alonso has praised the 24-year-old for his positive start and pointed to how much of a statement his arrival was.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s clash with Arsenal, Alonso said: “For sure, Morgan was a big, big one to get a player of his stature - in the present and future. He will be a key player for the next six, seven years. He's had a great impact."
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While Arsenal did not manage to sign Rogers, they still spent heavily on their team. Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Piero Hincapie all arrived for big fees.
But Gunners icon Ian Wright has bemoaned the fact that they didn’t manage to get a deal over the line for Rogers. “I think we did need Rogers,” Wright said on Stick to Football.
“It’s not a disastrous window but if I’m Mikel (Arteta), I wouldn’t be happy with how this window has gone simply because we’ve gone another window where we have not got that forward.
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso has been full of praise for Morgan Rogers(Image: Getty Images)
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“Mikel has talked about getting players to take us to that level, he did it again after Paris, where we didn’t have that player to break them. That is the player Mikel wanted. They chased Vini until the end of the earth and left Morgan Rogers dangling.”
He added: “You say we have got those types of players but that is what Mikel wanted. It is a position where we need that player. Of course Saka is back, Odegaard is back, Havertz is back and playing together, but he wanted that difference-maker.
“He [Rogers] is the one we were linked with ages ago and he would have loved to have come, I can feel it.
“There’s something that’s happened with Arsenal with the way they were going for Vini. If you’re a player and you see a team going for him, you think, ‘I thought they were interested in me?’. It is the player the manager wanted. Chelsea thought, well if you’re not going to pay it, we’ll pay it. I’m gutted, I would have loved him to come.”
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