£15m Champions League hero explains key factor that made him sign for Aston Villa amid West Ham interest

Aston Villa playmaker Morgan Rogers has revealed that Unai Emery was the main person who influenced him to move to the West Midlands last year.

Rogers left Middlesbrough to join Aston Villa on deadline day during the 2024 January window. After a long-running transfer saga, which saw the West Midlands side experience a number of setbacks from the Championship club, Villa were ultimately able to agree a deal of £8m upfront for Rogers, with performative add-ons eventually - taking the deal up to a value of £15m.

One of the reasons Boro rejected three previous offers was due to a hitch, with Man City receiving 25 per cent of the fee due to a sell-on clause, but after a degree of haggling the Lions got the deal over the line and managed to get their hands on one of Britain’s best young superstars for a bargain fee.

"We analysed him and we followed him with a scout, as well when we played Middlesbrough,” Emery said after tying the youngster down to a long-term contract. “We are motivated and excited to work with him. He’s a young player, he can adapt to our style of play.”

Morgan Rogers discusses last year’s Aston Villa move

West Bromwich Albion academy graduate Rogers never got the chance to play for the Baggies and was snapped up by Manchester City in 2019 at the age of 17. He was technical on the books at City for four years but spent almost all of his time at the Etihad gaining experience at numerous clubs such as Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool where he had mixed success.

The £1.5m move to Middlesbrough in 2023 proved to be the making of the youngster and after scoring seven and assisting nine in 33 appearances, he was off to the Premier League with Aston Villa just six months later. CaughtOffside reported at the time that, amid the drama of negotiations, between Middlesbrough and Villa, West Ham had tried to hijack the deal with a move of their own.

But Rogers claims the persistence of Villa and particularly Emery was a decisive factor in his decision. He told the club website in a recent interview: “When a club wants you, it’s one thing, but if the manager wants you, it’s another thing — that’s all they ever said to me. Monchi & Damian kept reiterating that it’s coming from the manager & he’s desperate to sign you, he’s seen something in you.”

From the Championship to a Champions League hero

When Morgan Rogers stepped through the doors at Villa Park, the general view was that he’d be a strong back-up option with the potential to contribute from the bench and add squad depth in a challenging Conference League campaign.

However, after a solid start which saw Rogers score three in seventeen, including consecutive goals against Chelsea and Bournemouth at the end of last season - Rogers has rapidly become one of Villa’s most important players and a senior England international.

This season, the 22-year-old has recorded 11 goals and six assists in 33 appearances this term, including a hat-trick against Celtic in a 4-2 Champions League win which ultimately secured the team’s place in the round of 16 - just making him just the second Aston Villa player to score a hat-trick in the European Cup/Champions League after Gary Shaw against Dinamo Bucharest in November 1982.

Rogers also found the net against Spurs in Villa’s most recent FA Cup win, prompting praise from Emery, who told Birmingham World after the game: “He’s performing fantastic and always doing his task in everything tactically offensively and defensively. He’s scoring goals, he’s as well assisting players, he’s getting our identity stronger with his skills and how he is as well adapting in different positions in the attacking third. Of course, we keep going and don’t stop.”