Morgan Rogers on move to Chelsea, playing under Xabi Alonso and reconnecting with “best friend”

It’s one of the shock moves of the summer coming out of the Premier League. Morgan Rogers was busy with England on World Cup duty, but his agent was busy finding his next club. The deal had to wait until after the World Cup, but the first order of business was to put pen to paper on Wednesday.

Alonso “massive factor” for Rogers

Chelsea paid a staggering $156 million to Aston Villa for the midfielder who was being courted by multiple clubs around England. Rogers, who made his first appearance as a Chelsea player, spoke about why he thought Stamford Bridge was the right destination, naming Xabi Alonso as one of the key factors behind the move.

“I’ve had a few conversations with him and I think it’s important for me to be here that I need to understand what the manager’s like, how he is and how he wants to operate,” Rogers told Chelsea’s official website. “It very much fits with the way I see the game, the way I want to play, and the way I want to be me, and be free and express myself. Him being a part of that was a massive factor in me being here.”

Xabi Alonso was brought in as the new manager of Chelsea shortly after a season in which the Blues had three different coaches on the touchline. Enzo Maresca left Chelsea on the first day of the new calendar year, and then Liam Rosenior was axed following five straight losses in which his team failed to score a single goal. Calum McFarlane came in for a second caretaker stint to finish off the season and quickly after the end of the campaign, a deal was struck with Alonso.

Best buds reunited

As a condition of signing with Chelseas, Alonso was given the keys to the car as he looks to completely revamp the way things are done at Stamford Bridge. Up until know the owners of Chelsea tried to formulate a system of buying and loaning players out, all the while a never ended carrousel of coaches came and went. Alonso is looking to bring some stability to the club, and Rogers was one of his first moves Alonso has made and surely to be the most expensive.

Another reason Rogers made the move to Chelsea is the reunion with someone he one of his best friends. Cole Palmer and him were both on the books at Manchester City from 2020-2023, and have known each other even longer. Rogers spent much of that time on loan, but now the former buddies at City will be sharing a dressing room and playing on the same pitch at Stamford Bridge.

“I’ve known Cole since I was about 14, first in the England youth teams and then when we were both at Man City together. We’ve been speaking about this for a while; we always would love to have played together. So, for it to happen, we’re both excited,” Rogers said. “He’s non-stop ringing my phone, texting me, and I can’t wait. I think that’s probably the most special thing, playing with one of your best friends and being around him every day. It’s something I’m really excited about.”

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