Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Chelsea assistant Jody Morris has hailed the club's blockbuster £117 million capture of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa .
Morris believes landing a player who could have joined champions Arsenal and was set for Champions League football is a statement of intent, and suspects Xabi Alonso was central to getting the deal done.
The former Chelsea man has also considered whether Rogers and Cole Palmer could function like Cunha and Mbeumo at Manchester United , dismissed talk of a move for Florian Wirtz , and set out why the minimum target under Alonso must be the Champions League .
The Rogers Deal
Is Morgan Rogers Worth the £117 Million Fee?
It is surprising that we were able to get a player who would have been playing Champions League football with Aston Villa and also had the option of going to Arsenal , who are the champions and a much better team than us based on last year's performance levels.
Managing to sign him is a huge statement. Whether it has to do with us paying the fee and Arsenal not, who knows? Whatever way you look at it, you have to give credit to the owners for shelling out that amount of money on a player. He is certainly one that I have been impressed by. I was impressed with him as a kid at Manchester City . I loved him under Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough , where he really excelled. I think he went to a new level under Unai Emery .
Prior to the tournament, I actually said Morgan Rogers could be the surprise star with the capability to light up the tournament. It didn't quite work out like that, but he is a huge talent, and it is a statement. I imagine Xabi Alonso is behind this. I don't think he would have taken the job if he wasn't going to be involved in recruitment. There wouldn't be too many managers who wouldn't want to sign Morgan Rogers . Let's hope it works out better than when we last signed a player that Arsenal wanted, like Mykhailo Mudryk . As a player, he is a huge talent.
He can play off both sides, in the number 10 role, and even in the third and fourth place playoff, he played in the eight alongside Eberechi Eze . He has the capabilities and versatility to play in so many different areas. I'm intrigued to see how the manager wants to play because that will determine the role Morgan Rogers will play. We have signed a huge talent, and he still fits the profile of not signing players over 26, so it suits everyone at the moment.
Can Rogers and Palmer Play Like Cunha and Mbeumo?
I can see Xabi Alonso playing Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer like Cunha and Mbeumo at Man Utd . That was the first thing I thought when it came out that we were signing him. Having said that, we also have to think about Estevao being fit; he is one of the biggest talents at the club. Between Morgan Rogers , Estevao , and Cole Palmer , none of them has lightning speed.
Are we going to play them as two 10s and get the width and pace from the wing-backs? Xabi Alonso has proven to be a flexible manager. He played different formations at Leverkusen with a back three and then differently at Real Madrid . I imagine having to juggle things at Madrid has put him in good stead for Chelsea .
I am sure he is a better manager for it, even if his previous time ended abruptly. If you look at his points-per-game ratio, it was outstanding. Real Madrid is a difficult place for anyone to manage, so kudos to the owners for getting Xabi Alonso through the door when he would have had many options. I'm just intrigued to see where he fits people in. But that's what top managers have got to do.
Wirtz Links
Would Wirtz Be Better Off Joining Chelsea Under Alonso?
Wirtz to Chelsea ? I don't see that one at all. I know he never performed to the levels he would have wanted to at Liverpool last year, but he was massively expensive. When a player doesn't perform in a new league, you have to ask why you would shell out that kind of money again. That is the risk when taking people from other countries.
The Premier League is totally different to any other in the world. I don't see that happening, regardless of the relationship Alonso has with Wirtz . They were outstanding together, but I imagine there wouldn't be much appetite for that at Chelsea , certainly not from the board.
The Season Ahead
How Will Chelsea Fare Under Alonso?
As he is the new manager, I imagine there will be a few new additions and adjustments, but the minimum objective for Xabi Alonso is the Champions League . We need to start closing the gap toward the top, and there's no reason we can't do it quickly. We don't want increments like finishing eighth after being tenth.
Not at Chelsea , not with the money we've shelled out and the talent in the squad. Everyone is disappointed because the level of quality we have and the amount spent should not result in the position we were in; it was a disgrace. The performance levels were far below what was expected.
Minimum Champions League . I also want to see a change in mentality; I felt we were a bit of a petulant team with too many red cards. As soon as we made a mistake or conceded, we almost looked to fall apart. Under both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior , the drop-off in games was sometimes astounding. You wouldn't recognise the team from the first half to the second. Sometimes we were poor for the first half and then looked like world-beaters in the second. I would like to get some consistency and for the group to look more mature in their performances.
I am excited because I am a Xabi Alonso fan. I loved him as a player; he was outstanding and almost like a coach on the pitch. I am intrigued to see how we play and what the team looks like with hopefully a couple of new additions.
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