Three years before Chelsea made Morgan Rogers their record signing for £117 million, his market value had collapsed to just £1m — and Rogers himself wondered whether professional football had a place for him at all.

The path from academy prospect to first-team regular was bruising for Rogers, shaped by a sequence of loan moves he describes as "difficult" — stints that tested his confidence, his resilience, and his sense of belonging in the game.

A promising start at Lincoln City

Rogers' loan journey began at Lincoln City under manager Michael Appleton, who had previously worked in West Brom's academy and knew the teenager well. Appleton moved quickly to bring Rogers to Sincil Bank in League One, and the forward repaid that faith with six goals and two assists in 28 appearances.

What stood out to Appleton, however, was not the statistics but Rogers' character. During one away fixture at Portsmouth, Rogers — then 18 and on his first loan — volunteered without hesitation to mark one of the opposition's physical set-piece threats. "For me, that's a great example of him as a person and as a player," Appleton told BBC Sport.

Bournemouth loan left Rogers on the fringes

A step up to the Championship with Bournemouth followed, but Rogers struggled to make an impression. He started only three matches under then-manager Scott Parker and scored once as Bournemouth secured promotion back to the Premier League.

Former scout Des Taylor, who recruited Rogers for the club, described him as a "slow burner" and acknowledged the timing worked against him. "We saw him as a number 10, but Parker was not really playing with a number 10," Taylor explained. "It was no fault of Scott's, but it didn't work out."

Former Bournemouth defender Steve Cook recalled Rogers handling the setback with maturity. "He didn't let it stop him," Cook said. "He's a great example that not every journey is straightforward. You need setbacks to make you hungry."

Bournemouth had the option to sign Rogers permanently — reportedly for £9m — but declined. His loan was cut short and he returned to academy football, with an injury then delaying his next move.

Blackpool and another blow

Rogers eventually reunited with Appleton at Blackpool in the Championship the following January, but the reunion lasted barely two weeks before Appleton was sacked and replaced by Mick McCarthy. Rogers made 20 appearances in total, scoring once, as Blackpool were relegated to League One.

"He'd been patient, I'd been patient while he recovered from his summer injury, we'd finally reconnected and then I was out of the building," Appleton said.

Doubt, then a breakthrough

Rogers admits this period left him questioning his future. While his closest friend in football, Cole Palmer, joined Chelsea for £42.5m without requiring a loan move to establish himself, Rogers moved to Middlesbrough for just £1m.

At Middlesbrough, however, Rogers found his form. Five goals and three assists across six matches in the Carabao Cup run to the semi-finals caught the attention of Aston Villa, who signed him for an initial £8m in the January transfer window.

From there, his progression accelerated — culminating in Chelsea making him their club-record signing for £117m. As Appleton put it: "Morgan is a great example that careers aren't always a straight line."

Rogers himself credits the difficult years for building the mental edge he carries today. "The one thing I learned when going through these difficult loans is that I couldn't care less what people say about me," he said. "I just care about what I can control."