{"id":1320,"date":"2026-08-16T05:22:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T05:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=1320"},"modified":"2026-08-16T05:22:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T05:22:33","slug":"why-did-morgan-rogers-choose-chelsea-over-arsenal-pat-nevin-thinks-he-has-the-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=1320","title":{"rendered":"Why did Morgan Rogers choose Chelsea over Arsenal? Pat Nevin thinks he has the answer"},"content":{"rendered":"


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On Saturday afternoon, Morgan Rogers took to the pitch for the first time as a Chelsea player. It took him seven minutes to score his first goal in Chelsea colours, as the Blues beat Real Sociedad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A fifth win in eight pre-season matches saw Xabi Alonso\u2019s<\/a> men round off their pre-season campaign in style, as Alonso welcomed back players from England, France and Argentina\u2019s World Cup squads.<\/p>\n

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Rogers<\/a> was one of those, combining with Cole Palmer in a dual 10 role. Alonso fielded a 3-4-2-1 system<\/a>, much like the one he used in Germany with Leverkusen. It looks like the system he will use at Fulham.<\/p>\n

While Rogers making an immediate impact came as no surprise to joyous Chelsea <\/a>fans, his arrival remains a shock. Choosing Chelsea over Mikel Arteta\u2019s Premier League champions Arsenal looked an impossibility.<\/p>\n

Pat Nevin thinks he knows why Rogers chose Chelsea<\/h2>\n

Many can point to the obvious reasons. Money on offer at Chelsea, the Blues\u2019 willingness to meet Aston Villa\u2019s asking price, Rogers being best mates with Cole Palmer. Pat Nevin<\/a> has offered a different reason.<\/p>\n

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Speaking to OLBG<\/a>, former Chelsea star Nevin believes Rogers picked a move to Stamford Bridge over The Emirates because the \u00a3117m star wouldn\u2019t regularly start for the Gunners if he moved to North London.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorgan Rogers is brilliant. I love him as a player. We\u2019re talking about selfish players, but he is one of the least self-indulgent players I know in British football.\u00a0He\u2019s utterly brilliant,\u201d Nevin said, praising Rogers.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlayers that are brilliant are usually a wee bit selfish on the ball. I\u2019ve watched Aston Villa a lot, and apart from my obvious love for John McGinn, Morgan was the man for me,\u201d Nevin added on the \u00a3117m star.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I adore him as a player. He\u2019s absolutely, utterly fantastic. So Arsenal made sense. And then you look at where he has to fit in, and you\u2019re thinking, you going to oust Odegaard? They\u2019ve just brought Eze.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKai Havertz can drop back in there and even though you\u2019re Morgan Rogers and you\u2019re a great player, you must think, am I going to get a game here?\u00a0 Eze is spectacular, and he\u2019s not playing every week. <\/p>\n

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And if you\u2019re not playing every week and you\u2019re in that position, it has a bad effect. Will he play every week for Chelsea? Completely, totally. He\u2019s nailed on. If he\u2019s fit and playing well, he\u2019s starting.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s right up there first in the team sheet. You build the team around him in Cole Palmer. In that sense, it makes sense to me that if the Arsenal thing didn\u2019t happen. He\u2019ll play every game [for Chelsea],\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

How did Rogers play against Real Sociedad?<\/h2>\n

As aforementioned, Rogers scored the first of three goals on Saturday as Alonso\u2019s men beat his old side with a degree of ease. Joao Pedro was easily the best player on the pitch, but Rogers was third-best.<\/p>\n

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That is according to FotMob<\/a>, with Rogers earning a 7.8 rating. The England ace produced the second-most touches in the opposition box, while completing 16 of his 19 passes, most of which were in attack.<\/p>\n

A good first game for Rogers, and while it was only a tap-in, it will give the former Aston Villa star some confidence. With the first Premier League game of the season up next, Rogers will surely get the nod.<\/p>\n

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