£117m?! Chelsea have enormously overpaid for Rogers
For some football fans, the summer is the part of the calendar that they look forward to the most - and that's not just because it's filled by a World Cup every four years! Rather, it's because the end of the season means only one thing: It's time for transfers! The 2026 window is once again proving to be busy, with some huge names making big-money moves before deadline day on September 1.
We know that some transfers turn out well for all parties involved, but there are plenty where at least one of the clubs, or even the player, are left wondering what might have been had they made a different decision while at the negotiating table.
GOAL is here, then, to ensure you know who did the best out of every massive deal before the players have even been officially unveiled. Throughout the summer window, we will be grading every done deal as it happens, letting you track the big winners - and losers - of transfer season.
Check out all of our grades below, and let us know what you think in the comments section...
July 21: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa to Chelsea, £117m)
For Villa: A brutal reminder of their place in the Premier League’s pecking order. Had Rogers joined newly-crowned champions Arsenal, that would have been one thing. However, Villa finished fourth last season, six places and 13 points above Chelsea, and will be playing Champions League football this year, while the Blues have no continental competition at all to look forward to - and yet the Europa League titleholders were utterly powerless to prevent their most prized possession from moving to Stamford Bridge. Obviously, from a financial perspective, this is an absolutely unbelievable deal for Villa. They signed Rogers from Middlesbrough just two-and-a-half years ago for an initial £8 million. They've now sold him for nearly 15 times that figure - which is mad money that will go a long way towards helping Villa find a replacement while at the same time strengthening Unai Emery's squad elsewhere. However, the fans are bitterly frustrated right now, as they feel that this is further evidence of their club's wealthy owners being hamstrung by the Premier League's financial rules. Grade: B+
For Chelsea: Quite the coup. The expectation was that Rogers was bound for the north of London this summer rather than the west. However, despite supposed budgetary issues caused by last season’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, Chelsea have blown Arsenal out of the water to sign one of the most coveted attackers in the Premier League. How? Well, that’s the question everyone is asking themselves right now, with plenty of people now expecting a member of the Blues’ ‘bomb squad’ to turn up at Villa Park before the close of the transfer window - and for a grossly inflated fee. What seems more likely, though, is that progress has been made behind the scenes in terms of finding a new home for Enzo Fernandez and that the wantaway Argentine’s sale will almost completely cover the cost of signing Rogers. There is no denying that Chelsea have overpaid enormously for a 23-year-old with just two decent Premier League seasons under his belt, and only one goal in 22 appearances for England. However, a forward line of Rogers, Cole Palmer, Estevao and Joao Pedro could certainly do some serious damage under Xabi Alonso next season. Grade: B
For Rogers: A surprising turn of events - at least from the outside looking in. The presumption was that Rogers had his heart set on moving to the Emirates, where he would have been expected to take the place of the recently departed Leandro Trossard on the left-hand side of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal attack. However, it’s now being reported that he had his head turned by Alonso, who obviously did great work with the likes of Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen. However, we strongly suspect that money and guaranteed game time in a weaker team played even more pivotal roles in Rogers’ surprise switch to Stamford Bridge. In fairness, while Chelsea are a dreadfully-run club in a constant state of flux, this is a move that could work out very well for Rogers - particularly as he now gets to play Premier League football alongside his good friend and former Manchester team-mate at underage level, Palmer. Indeed, we might be seeing quite a few ‘cold’ celebrations during Chelsea matches next season! Grade: B