Paul Merson reacts to Morgan Rogers' £117m move to Chelsea, arguing the club is overpaying. He says the transfer is unnecessary because Chelsea already have a similar player, Cole Palmer, who plays in the same position. Merson suggests that unless Chelsea sell Enzo Fernandez or restructure the squad, the £117m fee will be hard to justify. He also notes that Joao Pedro is another No 10, meaning Chelsea have three attacking midfielders. He questions whether Rogers will fit into a system where space is limited and he will be judged on goals and assists.

For Arsenal, Merson points out that the club lost Leandro Trossard for a trivial fee and now needs to fill the left‑wing gap with players like Desiré Doue or Bradley Barcola. He criticises the club for selling a key player and failing to recruit a replacement. At Villa, the departure of Youri Tielemans and Rogers leaves a creative void; Merson wonders if Ezri Konsa or Johan Manzambi could be targets for other clubs.

Merson concludes that Rogers must live up to the price tag; otherwise the move will be seen as a mistake, unlike the successful signings of Rice and Caicedo.