Chelsea regained momentum into their abysmal season after thrashing Middlesbrough 6-1 in the Carabao Cup. The EFL Championship side found it too hard to contain the Blues. However, despite that, they got one goal courtesy of Morgan Rogers, the 21-year-old sensation who is on the radar of several top Premier League clubs.
And the goal he scored against Mauricio Pochettino’s side were enough evidence of why everyone rated him so highly. Like many top players recently, Rogers is a product of the Manchester City youth academy but is now carving a reputation for himself as a deadly goal scorer for Boro both in the Championship and the Carabao Cup.
With Middlesbrough looking unlikely to win a promotion, a player like Rogers will likely leave for greener pastures. In fact, the club already has two transfer proposals for him in the winter transfer window.
So, who is Morgan Rogers, and how good is he?
Who is Morgan Rogers
Born in Halesowen, West Midlands county, England, Morgan Rogers started his career at eight years when he joined West Bromwich Albion youth academy. For the next nine years, he would progress through the various age groups, playing across a variety of positions in the attack.
In the 2016-17 season, he would get his first crack at the under-18 Premier League but only became a part of the team next season when he scored four goals and provided four assists in 16 games. Come the 2018-19 season, though, he had truly mastered the league, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in just even games.
Thai earned him a call-up to the reserves side, where he managed a respectable tally of five goals and four assists in 12 games.
These performances were duly rewarded as he was signed by Manchester City in 2019. The club so highly rated Rogers that at just 17, he was drafted straight into the reserves with three goals and three assists. He would also get his first taste of European football by playing all six UEFA Youth League group-stage games.
Seeing his growing talent, City decided to send him on loan so he could earn more minutes in senior football. His first spell came for League One side Lincoln City. Rogers didn’t disappoint and came away with six goals and four assists in 25 games, helping his team finish fifth.
The following two years, though, would see him massively struggle on two different loan spells to Championship sides. In the 2021-22 and the 2022-23 seasons, he would play 35 games (15 for Bournemouth and 20 for Blackpool), score only two goals, and provide two assists.
So, coming into the current season, Rogers was under a lot of pressure to deliver, and this is exactly what he did.
Morgan Rogers Goal
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Morgan Rogers stats
After two disappointing loan spells, City decided to cut their losses and sold him to Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee. However, his new club put their trust in him, making him an integral part of the team.
Rogers has played 26 games in the league, scoring two goals and providing six assists. Data from xvalue shows that he has completed 12 through balls, among the best in the league. Rogers has the most assists on his team and is the third-best player on the Expected Threat (xT) and third-best on the Expected Offensive Value Added (xOVA).
However, it is the Carabao Cup where we have seen a glimpse of how dangerous a player can be when he is in form. At the time of writing this article Rogers has five goals and two assists. This makes him the outright top scorer in the competition. At one time, he went on a scoring spree, bagging four goals and three assists in four games.
Morgan Rogers style of play
Throughout his career, Rogers’ biggest asset was his versatility in playing anywhere across the frontline. And Middlesbrough have used this skillset to the fullest this season with the youngster playing as centre forward, attacking midfielder, second striker, left-winger, left midfielder.
However, these changes in the role have not disrupted his creativity, as Rogers has smoothly altered his gameplay according to the position he has been allotted. The youngster is equally adept at passing the ball or carrying it, making it very hard to contain him.
He is among the top players in the league for both through balls and successful dribbles, making him an exciting player. A multifaceted player like him has also allowed Middlesbrough to deploy him in a new position in the event of an injury or suspension of the regular starter.
Morgan Rogers transfer news
Morgan Rogers has already started attracting bids from several Premier League clubs. The club that are the front runners is the high-flying Aston Villa side, which is challenging for the Champions League spot.
According to several media reports, the Villans have already had two bids rejected but are adamant about adding the talented forward to their ranks, with the winter transfer window deadline approaching quickly and Middlesbrough still with an outside chance of making it into the Championship play-offs, a transfer is unlikely and could only materialise if Aston Villa fork out a large sum of fee.