Morgan-Rogers-Villa
From John McGinn to Boubacar Kamara, there have been so many astute, bargain signings made by Aston Villa within the last decade or so.
In pure business terms, few can really top that of Morgan Rogers, however, the Midlands side making a staggering profit on the former Middlesbrough man.
Snapped up for an initial fee of just £8m back in February 2024, the England international ultimately left on an eye-watering £117m deal this summer, as part of Unai Emery's squad overhaul.
Morgan-Rogers-Villa
Losing such a key figure was undoubtedly a blow for the Villans, but can anyone really argue with such a profit?
How Aston Villa played a blinder with Rogers
Not every player is a Jude Bellingham who bursts onto the scene at the age of 16. Sometimes the course of a youngster's career can be a little turbulent.
Rogers-Bellingham-England-World-Cup
That was certainly true of Rogers, having been poached from West Bromwich Albion by Manchester City as a mere teenager, only to leave the Etihad for just £1m in 2023, following stints out on loan at Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool.
He took a step backwards to move forward, it must be said, spending just six months at the Riverside prior to being snapped up by Emery co in 2024, having shone against Villa in the FA Cup.
It wasn't as if he'd necessarily ripped it up in the second tier, scoring just four times in 60 Championship games, yet Emery had clearly seen enough to take a leap of faith.
To say the Villans were handsomely rewarded for that gamble would be an understatement, with Rogers showing flashes almost from the off, having scored three goals in his first 11 Premier League outings in 2023/24.
Morgan Rogers and Leon Bailey for Aston Villa
Come May 2026, his overall record for the club stood at 60 goal involvements in 125 games in all competitions, rounding things off with a star performance in the Europa League final win over Freiburg.
Unsurprisingly, the Premier League's elite came calling over the summer, with the rival interest of Arsenal and Chelsea allowing Villa to rake in the fourth-highest transfer fee in top-flight history.
most expensive premier league signings ever (timeless - isak, barcola, enzo fernandez, rice, tonali, caicedo, wirtz)
In the space of just two years, Rogers truly exploded into a genuine superstar for both club and country, yet another example of Emery's managerial genius.
Let's hope there's more to come in that sense.
Why Aston Villa star is ready to explode like Rogers
With seven goals and assists in his first seven games in west London, the 24-year-old has picked up where he left off at Villa Park, proving such a terror in that left channel.
REUTERS/Tony O Brien
The beauty of the £117m man is just how versatile he is, lining up on either flank under Emery's watch, as well as in a number ten berth, boasting the pace, power and stellar end product to prove such a threat in any role.
There's always been that fluidity to Emery's attack, just look to the role of McGinn, with the introduction of young Johan Manzambi certainly set to follow that trend.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, Emiliano Martinez and Matty Cash celebrate after winning the UEFA Europa League
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, Emiliano Martinez and Matty Cash celebrate after winning the UEFA Europa League
Indeed, the Swiss sensation is undoubtedly even more versatile and adaptable than Rogers, able to feature in a variety of roles ranging from central midfield to centre-forward.
It is for that reason that the 20-year-old has been hailed as "the most unique U21 player on the planet" by analyst Spencer Mossman, a veritable 'Swiss-army knife' of a footballer.
||
Manzambi - Career By Position
Position
CM
SS
AM
DM
LW
LM
RW
RM
Back at Freiburg, for instance, he came alive last season after scoring and assisting ten goals in the Bundesliga, while he was also immense in the early stages of the World Cup, scoring three goals in the group stage before injury struck.
In 19 caps so far, he's already scored six times, his most common role having arguably been as an advanced, attacking midfielder, operating as a real box-crashing menace behind the centre-forward.
That's already been seen amid a rather slow start to his Villa career, with Manzambi slotting home his first goal for the club just before the break against Tottenham Hotspur.
Like Rogers, he's a young, somewhat unproven arrival at Villa Park, yet there's certainly plenty to suggest that he can explode in similar fashion, with there reason why the club have forked out a club-record £50m fee to strike a deal.
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Of course, he's not exactly a Rogers-esque bargain, yet at just 20 and as the most valuable player at the club, as per Transfermarkt, he could be another whom Villa make a major profit on later down the line.
In the short-term, however, let's just hope Manzambi can fill Rogers' sizeable void and become the driving force behind this new-look Emery team.
Aston-Villa-Champions-League