Morgan Rogers has singled out Arsenal as the benchmark that convinced him he could compete at the very highest level.
With a potential move to the Emirates this summer gathering momentum, the timing of his comments will certainly interest Gunners supporters.
Speaking to The Athletic, the Aston Villa midfielder reflected on the point his career truly clicked into gear, calling Arsenal “some of the best players in the world”.
“Probably the Arsenal game at the start of last season was the big one for me,” Rogers said. “I was playing against some of the best players in the world and Arsenal were competing for the title.
“They were players I watched on television when I was in the Championship or in League One.
“Being able to match them toe-to-toe, physically, with and without the ball, I just got that feeling: ‘Yeah, I can do this’.”
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Arsenal won the match 2-0, but Rogers was excellent on the day, causing them all sorts of problems with his direct and powerful drives through the midfield.
He elaborated on just how significant that game was for him. “I had been at Villa for six months and I did OK when I first came into the team, but you need that one moment, that one feeling on the pitch of when you know you can compete at that level.
“The step up is actually a big jump, and it can take a while. But that was the game where I felt like I deserved to be here.”
Morgan Rogers would be the ideal fit for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta
According to talkSPORT, Mikel Arteta is personally leading Arsenal’s pursuit of Rogers, and it is easy to see why.
The 23-year-old is considered by those close to Unai Emery to be Villa’s best player.
Capable of operating centrally or wide, he would provide the Arsenal manager with a lot of tactical flexibility in attack — similar to how Eberechi Eze has done this season.
Rogers himself has spoken about his desire to be expressive and take risks. “I don’t play football to be boring, to be safe,” he said.
“I have qualities to unlock defences, to score goals and to create goals. That’s my task.”
That is exactly the kind of player Arteta needs to take this Arsenal attack to this next level.
A difference maker. A moments player. Someone who can use their individual quality to decide a game in a flash.
Villa value Rogers at around £80 million, with that figure likely to rise should a bidding war develop.
Chelsea and Manchester United are also monitoring the situation, but the Premier League champions have every reason to believe they can win the race.
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