The pressure is now on Morgan Rogers to deliver in a Chelsea shirt after BlueCo gave Xabi Alonso the green light and Behdad Eghbali negotiated a £117m deal for the England star.
The most expensive Englishman to play the game, Rogers has eclipsed Elliot Anderson’s £116m move to Man City after signing on the dotted line. He has put pen to paper on a six-year deal with an option.
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Only Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Alexander Isak have cost more than Rogers. Chelsea have done their job; now it is on Rogers to deliver and prove to Chelsea fans that he is worth that big lump of cash.
How can he do that? Well, Alonso needs to find a place in this Chelsea side that suits him best. The new Chelsea gaffer has spoken about building the team around Cole Palmer, but now it’s about both.
But Alonso has a track record for getting the best out of his attacking players, improving them and churning out stunning numbers. Just look at Florian Wirtz, having gone from good to great under Alonso.
Morgan Rogers is already better than Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz
Wirtz came good under the guidance of Alonso, and ultimately it was the former Anfield midfielder who earned Leverkusen a £116m payday. The amount of cash paid for Wirtz was because of Alonso’s magic.
For Alonso to thrive, he needs magic in transition, and that is what both Rogers and Palmer bring. They can produce genius from very little, finding gaps and pockets of space impossible for defenders to stop.
Wirtz did it at Leverkusen, and now Rogers is tasked with doing it at Chelsea. The difference? Alonso does not need to wait for Rogers to thrive; he already has a better player in Rogers than he did with Wirtz.
Last season’s stats in the Premier League prove as much. Following Wirtz’s move to Liverpool, costing the Reds £1m less than Rogers’ fee, the German failed to supply the numbers he had done in the Bundesliga.
2025/26 Premier League Attacking Stats Comparison
| Attacking Metric | Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) | Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) |
| Appearances (Starts) | 37 (37) | 33 (27) |
| Minutes Played | 3,280 | 2,378 |
| Goals | 10 | 5 |
| Assists | 6 | 3 |
| Total Goal Involvements (G+A) | 16 | 8 |
| Total Shots | 84 | 51 |
| Shots on Target | 32 | 18 |
| Shot Accuracy % | 38.1% | 35.3% |
| Chances Created (Key Passes) | 52 | 57 |
| Touches in Opponent Box | 175 | 159 |
| Total Touches | 1,782 | 1,863 |
How will Chelsea play with both Rogers and Palmer starting?
While Palmer will remain the focal point of Alonso’s Chelsea side, they would not have signed a player for £117m without assuring him he will be first choice. In talks, Rogers was told he will start on the left flank.
Alonso used a 4-2-3-1 system against Crawley on Saturday, and in such a system, Rogers and Palmer can easily combine with Pedro Neto, Estevao or Geovany Quenda on the right. Joao Pedro will lead the line.
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But Alonso has options. A 3-4-2-1 system, like he used in Germany, would allow Chelsea to play Palmer and Rogers as dual 10s. Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds system saw them play with four attacking midfielders.
Two banks of five, that instead of the three in a 4-2-3-1, was simply a four behind a striker. Again, that would allow Palmer and Rogers to play centrally, but it would also leave Moises Caicedo exposed.
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