Morgan Rogers wasted no time mentioning his close friend Cole Palmer when he completed his £117 million move to Chelsea from Aston Villa. The two have spoken openly about their desire to share a pitch, and Rogers made clear that pulling on a Chelsea shirt alongside Palmer ranks among the most exciting prospects of his career.

"We've been speaking about this for a while — that we would always love to play together," Rogers said. "He's been non-stop ringing my phone, texting me, and I can't wait. That's probably the most special thing, playing with one of your best friends and being around him every day."

The question now facing new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is whether he can design a system that gets the very best from two attacking midfielders who operate in strikingly similar areas of the pitch.

Rogers' style of play

Pinning Rogers down to a single fixed position is no straightforward task. Under Unai Emery at Aston Villa, he became a central figure in the club's recent successes, operating chiefly on the left of a 4-2-3-1 — narrowing inside from the wing and trusting the left-back to hold the width.

From that inside-left channel, Rogers regularly curled efforts toward the far post with his stronger right foot, while also possessing the craft to drag his shot inside the near post at the last moment. Out of possession, Emery deployed him as a left midfielder in a 4-4-2 shape, though Rogers is equally capable of pressing in a front two alongside a centre-forward.

His athleticism is a standout attribute — he injects pace and directness into attacks both on and off the ball. His positional versatility, covering both flanks and even a central striking role, makes him an unusually flexible option for any manager.

How Rogers fits Alonso's system

Alonso's football philosophy is built on controlling possession and constructing attacks from deep in the opponent's half. This differs markedly from the counter-attacking, space-exploiting environment Emery created at Villa — the context in which Rogers truly flourished.

Yet the broader tactical landscape of the Premier League has shifted. Man-to-man pressing high up the pitch has become increasingly prevalent, placing a premium on players who can receive direct passes, carry the ball over distance, and beat defenders in one-against-one situations. Rogers excels in all three areas.

Alonso himself acknowledged the need to adapt after Bayer Leverkusen lost the 2024 UEFA Europa League final to Atalanta, who pressed man-to-man with intensity throughout. "We probably tried to play too many passes in the first phase, when we should have tried to attract the first player and then go long a bit more," the manager admitted.

Rogers gives Alonso a ready-made answer to that problem — a player capable of receiving long passes, retaining possession under pressure, and creating danger in tight spaces.

How Rogers and Palmer can co-exist

The key to understanding how Rogers and Palmer can thrive together lies in Alonso's preferred attacking shape. Whether Chelsea defend with a back four or a back five, the team is expected to move into a 3-2-2-3 or 3-2-5 structure in possession.

Rogers' most productive moments at Villa came in the inside-left channel — precisely the zone Alonso is likely to assign him when Chelsea have the ball. Palmer, meanwhile, gravitates toward the inside-right channel. Deployed in these complementary positions, the pair could operate as twin number tens behind a striker such as Joao Pedro.

Rogers' combination play, central passing, and ability to strike from the edge of the box make him an ideal partner for Palmer when facing structured defences. His physicality also suits Alonso's counter-pressing principles — the manager demands that players are well positioned to win the ball back immediately after losing it.

The duo's connection runs deep. They won the FA Youth Cup together at Manchester City in 2020, giving them a mutual understanding that most newly formed partnerships take seasons to build. Whether that chemistry translates directly into Premier League success under Alonso remains to be seen — but the foundations are compelling.