Photo: Bryan Berlin / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has described the signing of Morgan Rogers as a 'great signing' and said he expects the 23-year-old to adapt quickly to life at Stamford Bridge. Rogers joined from Aston Villa last week on a contract running until 2033.
Rogers is currently away from the club's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, having helped England to a third-place finish at the FIFA World Cup earlier this month. He will report to Chelsea's Cobham training ground ahead of the new campaign.
'In that position, we needed an important player and there were not many better options than Morgan Rogers,' Alonso said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's first pre-season fixture against Western Sydney Wanderers. 'His signing means a lot for everyone and for the players that are already here.'
Alonso highlighted Rogers' positional flexibility as a key asset. 'He plays in that pocket position, close to the striker, close to our number ten – but he has also played on the right side even though he is more used to coming from the left,' the manager said.
Rogers arrives having made 85 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa over two-and-a-half seasons, during which he also won the UEFA Europa League and established himself in the senior England squad. Alonso said that experience underpins his confidence in an early impact.
'I'm sure Morgan won't need much time to adapt to the club, to the system, to his team-mates. The idea was that we wanted to get a top player: Morgan is one of them,' Alonso said.
Alonso also addressed how Rogers will fit alongside Cole Palmer, with whom Rogers has been friends since the pair played together for England as 14-year-olds. 'I have a plan, an idea, and I can see them linking really well,' the Chelsea manager said. 'If we get that balance right and those special players in the right positions with good control, then we will be more competitive with the ball and against the ball.'