Xabi Alonso Confident Morgan Rogers Will Make Instant Impact at Chelsea

Morgan Rogers assessed that Xabi Alonso could quickly bring positive changes to Chelsea (Instagram/@chelseafc).

Xabi Alonso says he believes Morgan Rogers will have an almost instant impact at Chelsea following his record-breaking move from Aston Villa.

Rogers recently signed a contract worth 117 million pounds (around Rp 2.8 trillion) after playing a key role in England's 2026 World Cup campaign.

Chelsea are currently in Sydney as part of Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, but Rogers will not report for duty until the club return to London next month, just weeks before the start of the Premier League season.

Alonso, ahead of his first season as a coach at Stamford Bridge, said he was delighted to have secured Rogers, who was also of interest to Arsenal.

"It's a great signing. I think in that position we need a key player. I'm sure there's not many better options than Morgan."

"We want to build a competitive team, of course. We are in the process of that, we have great quality, great talent, and we need to know what it takes to compete in the Premier League."

"When we started talking, we wanted to build a competitive squad and you need players who can have an almost instant impact."

"I'm sure Morgan won't need much time or adaptation to the club, the system, and his teammates. That's the idea we want, to get top players and Morgan is one of them."

"One of his best qualities (Rogers) is his flexibility. In the attacking midfielder position close to the striker, number 10, he also plays on the right wing, but more often comes from the left wing."

"He feels he's enjoying his game, the script, I'm sure he'll have a good connection with the other players around him."

"If we can build the right connections, they are well connected, it will be a big step forward in the quality of our game," Alonso said as reported by ESPN.

After Rogers completed his move and Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix was reported to be following him, Alonso was asked about the size of his ideal squad and the possibility of Chelsea selling players.

In his first season as coach, the club will have a relatively light workload as there is no European tournament this season.

"Not too long, not too short - how many? I can't give you that number, but we need to have options because we know it can be unlucky with injuries, so we need to be prepared for that."

"We need to be alert. We need to know that there may be some movements, we need to be flexible, quick to act. However, the main thing is that we have a clear idea, a clear plan, and it will change until the last day of the transfer window opens," he said.

Meanwhile, Alonso also said that he had not decided who would be his first choice goalkeeper. Robert Sanchez ended last season as the number 1 goalkeeper.

"All positions are still open. The competition within the team is very positive and I like it," he said.