Arsenal have been told that Aston Villa are expected to price Morgan Rogers as high as possible to prevent summer transfer
Arsenal are hoping to sign Morgan Rogers this summer football.london understands, as the Gunners aim to defend their Premier League title by making some major acquisitions. The club has not done so since the 1930s, but a major investment this summer is hoped to help do the trick.
Rogers remains with the England squad ahead of the third-place playoff, or as FIFA are attempting to rebrand it… the Bronze Medal Final. Rogers has been a key feature of Thomas Tuchel’s squad in different roles, but Arsenal see the 23-year-old as very much a left-sided option.
But the biggest obstacle for now remains Aston Villa who do not want to lose their star man. football.london spoke to Birmingham Live’s Aston Villa correspondent John Townley on the Seeing Red podcast to get the latest on the situation.
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“[Villa] will set as high a price as they possibly can, and that will obviously be to try and deter suitors for Rogers, but at the same time, there is a 20% sell-on clause that Middlesbrough have,” Townley explained. “So, even if Villa were to make a huge amount of money, let’s say Arsenal bid £125m and that gets accepted, Villa will still lose out on a chunk of money, obviously taking the vast majority of it.
“But Villa will view and do view Rogers as one of the best players in the Premier League, one of the most exciting talents and promising players as well. He’s obviously English, which brings a boost to the price tag, I think, as well, and can play across a number of positions.”
“You’ll find difficult times looking for a weakness in his game. He’s got everything. He’s physically really strong, not just in terms of his power, but also he’s durable as well. He misses very few games. So, there’s lots to be said for Morgan Rogers in his quality, but also his temperament, his personality.
“There are so many positives to the player, and if you’re Villa, why would you not price him similar to what Elliot Anderson is going to Man City for, for example? So, Villa will hold out for as much money as they possibly can, and crucially, as well, they’re not in a position where they have to sell Morgan Rodgers.”
Much has been made of Arsenal’s keenness to make Rogers their new left winger. The England international has been predominantly used centrally for Villa.
Some critics have gone as far as to say that Rogers would be a mistake to sign on the Arsenal left. However, Townley believes, as someone who has watched Rogers week in week out for Villa for the past two seasons, that this is, in fact, where Arsenal could get the most from him.
“I think if I were building a perfect Villa side, I would probably pick Rogers off the left myself as well. He seems to be more productive; the numbers back that up, but equally, I like what he gives from a defensive point of view.
“He works hard, he is strong, and as I mentioned before, he’s durable, so he can last 90 minutes in a game, and he’s flexible enough to play across a number of roles, absolutely. He can drive in from the left and come inside, go on the outside as well, and combine with a left-back or a wing-back, or whoever else is going to make up those numbers in that area of the zone of the pitch.
“I prefer him off the left coming inside, because I think it’s always a big threat for that opposing full-back. You’ve got to stay attentive to what Morgan Rogers is doing if you’re opposing him.”
