CHELSEA have made one of the biggest moves in the summer transfer window so far by agreeing a deal worth £117million for Morgan Rogers.
The Aston Villa star was one of his side’s standout performers last season, scoring 14 goals and registering 12 assists in all competitions.
Xabi Alonso is already getting to work shaping his Chelsea squad for 2026/27 Credit: Getty
Morgan Rogers (left) and Cole Palmer (right) played together at youth level for Manchester City Credit: Manchester City
He played a key role in helping Villa qualify for Champions League football and win the Europa League, meaning he’s been a wanted man this summer.
After being heavily linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, The Athletic have now confirmed he looks to be Chelsea bound.
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Rogers played with Cole Palmer at youth level for Manchester City, and the two stars will now be re-united to link up again – this time for Chelsea.
Xabi Alonso will be excited at the prospect of playing those two in midfield, and he will hope that the Rogers’ signing might encourage Enzo Fernandez to stay to join what will be an exciting midfield quartet alongside those two and Moises Caicedo.
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The headache will be fitting them all in, but one way he could do it is by playing Palmer as the No.10 and Rogers on the left – which according to reports is the what they will do to begin with. That would mean Estevao playing on the right.
If Rogers was to play as the No.10, Palmer would then go to the right and Pedro Neto would come in on the left.
Alternatively, they could both play out wide with Fernandez in the No.10 – a position he played in during the 3-0 victory over PSG in last year’s Club World Cup final while Palmer played off the right – scoring two goals and setting up the other.
Reece James‘ move into midfield – where he played in the Club World Cup final and in the 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League in November – would see Marco Palestra, signed from Atalanta for £47million this summer, come in at right-back.
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Estevao, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers in support of Joao Pedro is an exciting forward line
Can also operate as the No.10 with Palmer coming in on the right
Reece James in midfield is another option, meaning Palmer and Rogers could both play out wide
If James’ recurring injury problems continue, Palesta is going to get plenty of game time. But there are certainly ways to get them both in the same XI.
Palestra’s height means he will be equally as apt playing on the right side of a back three, which would bring Geovany Quenda – the £45million summer signing from Sporting Lisbon – into the equation at right wing-back – where he played at Sporting under Ruben Amorim.
Quenda and Jorrel Hato at wing-back in a 3-4-2-1 system would be reminiscent of when Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso played there during Chelsea‘s title-winning campaign of 2016/17 – Antonio Conte‘s first season in charge.
In that system, Eden Hazard played to the left with Pedro Rodriguez or Willian to the right of Diego Costa.
Palmer and Rogers would be able to dovetail beautifully in that system – the same way Hazard and Pedro or Willian did, and the way Jonas Hofmann and Florian Wirtz did for Bayer Leverkusen in their unbeaten league season of 2023/24 – the year they won the Bundesliga under Alonso.
The left side of a back three is a position that would suit Levi Colwill too.
The 3-4-2-1 system is familiar to Chelsea fans from the Antonio Conte days
Alonso is known for playing different systems, particularly at Bayer Leverkusen, where Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka sat in the centre of every one of them as the dictator of the Swiss army knife.
The Basque boss tried to re-sign Xhaka, but he opted to stay at Jattvibederland in the end.
At Chelsea, the equivalent of Xhaka will be Moises Caicedo.
With the Ecuadorian’s legs and midfield, it could allow them to play with two up front, then use Palmer and Rogers as wide men.
Those two would support Pedro, who can also play off the striker, and Nicolas Jackson in a 4-4-2.
The Senegal international spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich, where at times Harry Kane would drop deep and Jackson would stretch the defence.
Nicolas Jackson’s return could see Xabi Alonso try two up front in certain games
He could work similarly with Pedro, who also likes to drop deep for the ball.
That would allow Palmer, who has a good relationship with Jackson on the field, to spot his runs. Rogers would also do the same from the other side.
Liam Delap, who played with Palmer and Rogers in City’s academy, is another option in attack.
Whatever system Alonso decides to use, the prospect of Palmer and Rogers linking up again is a very exciting one.
