Arsenal cannot make £45m transfer mistake twice after Morgan Rogers opportunity emerges

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Arsenal are reportedly interested in a move for Morgan Rogers. While football.london is unaware of anything concrete in terms of a move for the player, there is certainly an appreciation for the England international’s talent and progress at Aston Villa.

The club is on the hunt for attacking upgrades, and Rogers would certainly offer that for Mikel Arteta. Rogers' 14 goals and 15 assists this season are a fantastic return, and he has done so while consistently outperforming his non-penalty expected goals, which is a great show of finishing.

Of his 12 goals in the Premier League and the Champions League, they came from a npxG of 9.7. Having now been called up by Thomas Tuchel, the stock of the 22-year-old has unsurprisingly gone through the roof.

Looking at where his contributions came last season for Villa, Rogers operated in seven different roles. From attacking midfield, his most natural position, to the left and right and even as a centre forward figure on three occasions.

Interestingly, in ten appearances as a left winger or left midfielder, he scored five goals and managed two assists. With Arsenal needing reinforcement across the attack, Rogers looks a brilliant fit. Furthermore, his physical attributes tally with exactly what Arteta loves in a forward player or a footballer more generally.

That said, if Arsenal were to make their interest in Rogers more serious, they could not go in and approach any potential move like they did with Ollie Watkins. While a completely different scenario, Villa had their expectation on price for the striker, and Arsenal came in, despite in their minds with a reasonable £45million offer with add-ons included, very much below that.

A signing of the calibre of Rogers would be a real coup for Arsenal. The benefit compared to January will be the presence of Andrea Berta who has since come in as the new sporting director.

It is understood by football.london the Italian is already having discussions with several targets for the summer as the club look to strengthen in different areas. If Berta is to pursue a potential move for Rogers, the club would certainly be targeting one of the Premier League’s current best.

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