Louis Saha slams Chelsea’s £117m Morgan Rogers deal but backs Xabi Alonso for title

Louis Saha believes Chelsea paying £117million for Morgan Rogers represents “everything that is wrong with football”, although the former Premier League striker has backed Xabi Alonso to challenge for the title this season.

Rogers arrived from Aston Villa for a club-record fee this summer and has already made an immediate impact, scoring in Chelsea's 3-2 opening-day victory over Fulham.

Saha does not question the England international's talent. His issue is the extraordinary price Chelsea paid to get him.

Rogers enhanced his reputation with Aston Villa and impressed at the World Cup, but Saha believes transfer valuations are becoming detached from reality.

“If he’s just moved for £117 million then how much would Bruno Fernandes be worth after last season? £200 million?” Saha said.

“I just think there needs to be a moment where these things start to make sense again because I’m baffled by the way transfers have gone.”

Importantly, Saha stressed that Rogers should not be blamed or feel pressure to prove he is worth £117m.

“It’s not his fault,” he said. “This is the game of agents, not footballers.”

Saha believes increasingly inflated transfer fees are damaging clubs and football more broadly, questioning who ultimately benefits from such enormous valuations.

Whatever the debate surrounding his price, Rogers has made an encouraging start under Alonso.

The 24-year-old scored Chelsea's second goal in Monday night's 3-2 victory at Fulham, helping Alonso begin his Premier League reign with three points.

Alongside Cole Palmer and João Pedro, Rogers gives Chelsea an exciting attacking core capable of causing serious problems this season.

For Saha, however, Chelsea's title prospects could ultimately be decided further back on the pitch.

Despite his criticism of Chelsea's spending, Saha believes Alonso has inherited enough quality to potentially win the Premier League.

“I think Xabi Alonso can win the title with Chelsea this season,” he said.

Saha was particularly impressed by Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen team, praising their pressing, midfield control and overall style.

But reproducing that at Stamford Bridge will require greater stability.

Saha believes Moises Caicedo and Chelsea's other midfield options must become more consistent if the Blues are going to sustain a title challenge.

Chelsea have quality, but Saha feels mistakes, positioning and a lack of composure continue to cost them at crucial moments.

“They don’t have the calmness you need in these positions and their positioning can be erratic at times,” he explained.

That is where Alonso's own experience could prove crucial.

“Hopefully Xabi Alonso is able to fix that because he knows what it takes to control a midfield.”

Rogers has already started answering questions about his football rather than his transfer fee, but the £117m valuation will inevitably follow him throughout his first Chelsea season.

For Alonso, the bigger challenge is transforming an enormously talented squad into a controlled and consistent team. If he can eliminate the midfield mistakes Saha highlighted while getting the best from Rogers, Palmer and Chelsea's other attacking talent, a serious title challenge may not be unrealistic.

Is £117m simply too much for Morgan Rogers, or could he eventually prove Chelsea were right to spend that kind of money?