Rogers on Chelsea role: 'Pressure brings excitement'

Morgan Rogers made an immediate impression on his Chelsea debut, scoring in the pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on Saturday — and the 24-year-old is already thinking about how he and Cole Palmer can complement each other in the same attacking line.

Rogers and Palmer lined up in adjacent number ten roles behind Joao Pedro, with manager Xabi Alonso encouraging positional fluidity across the trio. For Chelsea's opening goal, Rogers had drifted from his nominal left-side position to arrive on the right of Joao Pedro, where he converted the loose ball from Pedro Neto's inswinging cross.

"We have different qualities, different ways of playing the game and affecting games," Rogers said. "Playing off each other and helping each other's strengths and weaknesses can work. We do a lot of things that are different. Ultimately, it's about scoring and creating and linking the game."

Rogers built his reputation at Aston Villa across multiple positions — as a number ten, an eight, and on either flank — and sees that adaptability as central to his value.

"I can play in a number of positions and that's probably a strength of mine," he said. "I can adapt and give managers a different outlook on different positions. Being versatile helps me."

The former Villa man is also relaxed about the expectations that follow one of the summer's most high-profile transfers.

"Pressure brings excitement," Rogers said. "I think if you're not playing for anything, that excitement, that buzz, that feeling, isn't there. I'm just going to show what I can do on the pitch and why I'm here and how I can influence and help the team."

Rogers joins a Chelsea squad managed by Xabi Alonso that is building quickly ahead of the new Premier League season.