What will Rogers bring to Alonso's Chelsea?

Chelsea's £117m move for Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers was a genuine transfer window shock, but how did they do it and what does it mean for the rest of the squad?

On Monday, Rogers returned from the United States, having featured for England at the World Cup, to undergo a medical in London and sign a six-year contract with an option for a further year.

It had been widely expected that Rogers, who was Villa's most prized asset, would be available only for an English transfer record fee, but many expected Arsenal to be the frontrunners.

However, Chelsea had been tracking Rogers for more than two years and had quietly made him their top attacking target. They moved quickly after England's semi-final defeat by Argentina out of his desire to focus on the World Cup.

On Thursday, after the 2-1 loss, a combined effort involving the club's sporting directors, head coach Xabi Alonso and co-owner Behdad Eghbali helped secure a deal. Even Chelsea captain Reece James was making the club's case from within the England camp, while those close to the negotiations say Cole Palmer was also aware of developments as, in Rogers' words, "one of my best friends in life".

It was a well-planned operation involving figures across the club and resulted in Rogers being signed in under 48 hours.

The deal was underpinned by the strong relationship between Chelsea co-owner Eghbali and Aston Villa owner Nassef Sawiris, with the agreement being finalised on Saturday afternoon, shortly before Rogers took to the field in England's bronze-medal victory over France.

After the deal was agreed, Arsenal were offered the chance to match the bid but they informed Villa they were committed to their lower valuation and were willing to let him join Chelsea on those terms.

They will now consider alternative targets, including Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Bournemouth's Junior Kroupi.

Although Chelsea had tracked Rogers for more than two years, the clubs had previously discussed a potential deal during the 'Profit and Sustainability swaps' of 2024.

One option explored was Nicolas Jackson reuniting with his former Villarreal manager Unai Emery, before Ian Maatsen moved to Villa Park and Omari Kellyman joined Chelsea.

Yet Chelsea's move also represents a recalibration of their transfer tactics.

In April and his last interview, Eghbali accepted Chelsea needed "to add more ready-made players at this part of the project, to take (it) to the next level, to be consistent over time," adding: "You tweak a model, you improve, you learn from mistakes."

Where will Rogers fit in at Chelsea?

Palmer first performed his 'cold' celebration in December 2023 after scoring two goals in a 3-2 win at Luton.

He has since taken ownership of the celebration, literally, registering a trademark for it with the UK Intellectual Property Office after scoring two goals against Luton.

However, it was first meant as a tribute to Rogers as he performed the celebration after a goal for Middlesbrough against West Brom.

It was after moving from his local club West Brom to Manchester City that Rogers first struck up a friendship with Palmer. Both were 16 and soon starred in attack for City's FA Youth Cup-winning under-18 side in 2020.

Joining Chelsea should ease Rogers' transition. He already knows Levi Colwill and Reece James through the England set-up, while Tosin Adarabioyo, Jamie Gittens, Romeo Lavia and Liam Delap all came through City's academy system.

That English contingent forms a substantial part of the club's leadership group, alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

There is, however, the more important issue of football and where Rogers fits into the team, especially given Palmer is a similar type of player.

Rogers was among the players selected by England manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of Palmer for this summer's World Cup, but their versatility means they can play either together or in each other's position.

One source suggests Rogers will primarily play on the left, with Palmer operating centrally as a number 10. That would leave Estevao Willian, Pedro Neto and new signing Geovany Quenda competing for places on the right and Jamie Gittens as his understudy.

Chelsea are likely to use a back four at times next season, but they are also exploring a back-three system, which Alonso used to devastating effect when winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024.

That could allow Palmer and Rogers to play together as dual number 10s, while wingers would be asked to operate in deeper wing-back roles. The Spaniard is considering several tactical options before the start of the season.