Ian Wright ‘gutted’ Arsenal missed out on Morgan Rogers after late Chelsea transfer plea

Ian Wright has admitted he is “gutted” Arsenal failed to sign Morgan Rogers after reports claimed the Chelsea star was open to joining Mikel Arteta’s side before his £117million move to Stamford Bridge.

Rogers was identified as one of Arsenal’s preferred attacking targets earlier in the summer, but Chelsea ultimately won the race with a British-record deal.

According to the Daily Mail, Rogers’ camp even encouraged Arsenal to match Chelsea’s enormous offer. The Gunners decided against doing so, allowing their London rivals to complete the transfer.

Speaking on Stick to Football, Wright argued that Arsenal’s failure to land Rogers left Arteta without the difference-maker he wanted.

“I think we did need Rogers,” Wright said.

“It’s not a disastrous window but if I’m Mikel, I wouldn’t be happy with how this window has gone simply because we’ve gone another window where we have not got that forward.”

Arsenal also explored ambitious moves for Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez, but neither pursuit produced a deal. Christos Tzolis eventually became their only attacking addition, while Bruno Guimaraes was the headline signing elsewhere in the squad.

Wright believes Arsenal’s prolonged pursuit of Vinicius may have complicated their position with Rogers.

“They chased Vini until the end of the earth and left Morgan Rogers dangling,” he said.

Reports throughout the summer suggested Rogers was attracted by the possibility of working with Arteta, something Wright believes was genuine.

“He would have loved to have come, I can feel it,” the Arsenal legend said.

Wright suggested Rogers may have questioned Arsenal’s commitment after seeing them focus heavily on Vinicius.

Chelsea had no such hesitation and paid the £117m required to take the England international from Aston Villa.

Rogers subsequently added another edge to the story by describing Chelsea as “the biggest club in London” following his arrival.

Arsenal have nevertheless made a perfect start to their Premier League title defence, beating Coventry City and Aston Villa.

Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are also available again, giving Arteta established attacking options.

But Wright believes that misses the fundamental point: Arteta wanted another elite attacker capable of deciding the biggest matches.

“It is the player the manager wanted,” Wright said. “Chelsea thought, well if you’re not going to pay it, we’ll pay it. I’m gutted, I would have loved him to come.”

Arsenal must now rely on their existing attack and new signing Christos Tzolis until at least January, while Arteta assesses whether his squad has enough firepower to defend the Premier League title.

Rogers, meanwhile, has the opportunity to make Arsenal regret their decision at Chelsea. His performances this season will inevitably be compared with Arsenal’s attacking options, particularly if Arteta’s side struggle to find a decisive player in major matches.