Aston Villa secured the signing of forward Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough.
Aston Villa has successfully finalized the acquisition of 21-year-old winger Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough, in what is seen as a strategic move to reinforce their attacking prowess. The agreed-upon deal involves an initial transfer fee of £8 million, with the potential for add-ons that could elevate the total sum to £15 million over time.
Rogers, who predominantly operates as a winger, has showcased his football prowess during his stint at Championship club Boro, amassing an impressive record of seven goals and nine assists in 33 games throughout the current season. His performances on the field have not gone unnoticed, earning him a call-up to the England Under-20 national team.
The talented forward’s journey to Riverside Stadium began last July when he made a switch from Manchester City for a transfer fee of £1.5 million. This move was accompanied by a four-year deal that saw Rogers don the colors of Middlesbrough.
Aston Villa’s pursuit of Rogers faced resistance initially, with Middlesbrough rejecting three bids before the two clubs eventually reached an agreement on the transfer fee. It is noteworthy that Manchester City, Rogers’ former club, is poised to benefit from this deal as they had negotiated a 25% sell-on fee, thus ensuring a share of any profit made by Boro.
The announcement of Rogers’ signing comes on the heels of Aston Villa’s 3-1 home defeat by Newcastle, with manager Unai Emery expressing enthusiasm about the new addition. Emery stated, “We are motivated and excited to work with [Rogers] and hopefully he can progress here like we think he will do.”
Despite recent challenges in the league, where Aston Villa has won just one of their past four matches, they find themselves in the fourth position in the Premier League, trailing by five points from the top. The team is also actively competing in the FA Cup, set for a fourth-round replay against Chelsea, and has advanced to the last 16 of the Europa Conference League.
Villa’s activity in the January transfer window also included the undisclosed fee signing of defender Kosta Nedeljkovic from Red Star Belgrade. However, Emery, in a recent statement, suggested that he does not anticipate any further business for the club before the closure of the winter transfer window for Premier League clubs on Thursday at 23:00 GMT.