Arsenal have just missed out on their top transfer target.
Indeed, despite being Premier League champions and Champions League finalists, Chelsea have beaten the Gunners to the signing of Morgan Rogers.
As is usually the case, money talks in football, and the Blues have stumped up £117m to land the England international.
However, Morgan Rogers is no fool, and this decision will have been about more than just money.
As good as Arsenal are, there is reason to believe that Chelsea may be the better environment for Rogers right now.
Be honest: Would you have been happy if Arsenal spent £117m on Morgan Rogers?
Eberechi Eze may have affected Arsenal’s Morgan Rogers pursuit
As a young player coming into his prime, Morgan Rogers will have wanted guarantees about a starting berth at whichever club he was joining this summer.
Unfortunately, Arsenal can’t always promise that to their new signings.
Case in point – Eberechi Eze.
Eze joined Arsenal for big money last summer, but he found himself on the bench quite a lot last season, starting just 21 games in the Premier League for Arsenal.
Rogers may have looked at that situation and pondered if he would suffer the same fate.
Arsenal have plenty of talent in that number 10 spot – Eze, Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri and the emerging Max Dowman, so it may be hard for Rogers to get in there.
Meanwhile, on the left, Gabriel Martinelli remains at the club, Christos Tzolis is about to sign and Eze himself can play out wide too.
Rogers wouldn’t be the main man at Arsenal, he’d be a cog in a machine, while, he may feel, at Chelsea he will be more of a prized asset.
Paul Scholes shared a similar verdict on The Good, The Bad and The Football.
“I think he’s done the right thing going to Chelsea,” Scholes said.
“Why?” Scholes was asked.
“I think he’ll play more. We’ve just seen Eze go to Arsenal from Crystal Palace,” Scholes said.
“Not played a lot of football has he? Now look down to you and that left hand side.
“I suppose that’s the only place Morgan Rogers could play for them now. Is he going to do that for Chelsea? I don’t know. It’s just you forget about the money. The money isjust stupid.
“It’s outrageous now for any player.
“Yeah. I just I just think for his development and for getting more game time. I just think you have to back yourself if you’re going to a club like Arsenal, I could just see him getting more time.”
The Eze situation may well have played into Rogers’ mind when deciding which team he was going to join next.
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