The ex-Aston Villa sporting director has shared how the club’s current star was first brought to Villa Park.
Former Aston Villa transfer chief Monchi has revealed how he decided to sign an overlooked talent such as Morgan Rogers. The versatile attacking midfielder was not considered a top prospect at the time and was brought in almost as a calculated gamble. Monchi shared his thoughts in an interview, as reported by AS.com, on identifying such players.
“With globalisation, it’s already very difficult to find top players for one or two million. More than taking risks, I have to decide based on what they can be, not what they are. Bet on that kid who hasn’t succeeded at Brighton or Pisa for whatever reason, but about whom we have a good track record of reports.”
The former Middlesbrough man is one of the players in the current Three Lions squad who is in the spotlight. He has been tipped to be involved in a heated rivalry with Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham for a place in the starting line-up. Yet Rogers has insisted that such a rivalry does not exist.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder was largely overlooked before joining Aston Villa. Monchi was the man behind the Lions’ decision to sign him for £8 million. He highlighted Rogers as one of the most successful examples of his career as a sporting director, as well as living proof of his method for identifying talent.
“I’ve done it before. For me, the best player I’ve had technically in my career is Éver Banega, who was just wandering around the pitch, sidelined at Valencia. The people at Valencia aren’t stupid; they’re well-prepared and capable. Why did they let him go? Because he didn’t perform there. But you talk about Banega in Seville and he’s considered a god.
Morgan Rogers, possibly the most interesting signing I made in two years at Aston Villa, was a Manchester City reject, then went to Blackpool and Bournemouth and didn’t succeed at either, but today he’s possibly a top-five England international.”
So what made Rogers fail to shine in Manchester City’s academy, Bournemouth and Blackpool despite having such talent? Apparently, the reasons were more complicated than expected.
At Manchester City, he was already viewed as different from the rest of the academy players, as reported by Sky Sports following an interview with Brian Barry-Murphy, the former coach of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad, who worked with Rogers during his youth career.
“He’s definitely different because he can get the ball and run really quickly, directly and carry the ball big distances. That is what set him aside from the rest of the players who had come through the Man City system from a very young age – who were a lot of technical players who could play in tight spaces and play combination passes.”
Being somewhat of a misfit due to his style of play led him to loan spells at Lincoln, Bournemouth and Blackpool. Rogers thrived with the first club but struggled at the latter two.
His spell with the Cherries during the 2021/22 season ended abruptly due to a lack of playing time, being deployed in unfamiliar positions such as wing-back, which limited his ability to showcase his potential, and the tactical rigidity of manager Scott Parker. Such circumstances tended to favour senior players rather than young talents like Rogers. He made only 17 appearances and registered just one goal.
Meanwhile, at Blackpool, he experienced turmoil within the club due to managerial changes and a relegation battle. Michael Appleton, the manager who brought him to the club after working with him at Lincoln, was dismissed just two weeks after Rogers arrived.
Moreover, the immense pressure to win every match during the second half of the 2022/23 season left him unable to develop his potential properly. He featured 22 times there but only contributed one goal and one assist.
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