Arteta has struck gold on Arsenal star who’s worth more than Rogers

Last summer, Arsenal looked at expanding the depth of their squad.

While some first-team regulars joined, including Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi, the main aim was to give Mikel Arteta a full complement of players to help him challenge for the Premier League title.

Based on how the season ended, it’s difficult to really criticise the work carried out by Andrea Berta.

Yet, this summer’s task is totally different. It’s not about lifting the floor this time around, it’s about lifting the ceiling. Arsenal want readymade players. They want elite signings.

Julian Alvarez and Bruno Guimaraes are the primary targets and they simply have to sign at least one of them after missing out on Morgan Rogers.

Why missing out on Morgan Rogers is a blow for Arsenal

On Saturday evening the remarkable news emerged that Chelsea had beaten Arsenal to the signing of Rogers, paying a mind-boggling £117m to secure his signature.

It’s a puzzling situation. It had been made apparent that the Aston Villa man wanted Arsenal in recent weeks and he was Arteta’s top target.

Alas, Andrea Berta and the board have failed him, not for the first time either. The fact is that the north Londoners did not want to pay such a sum. It’s a fee that makes him the most expensive English player of all time. Is Rogers really worth that? It’s hard to suggest he is.

Transfermarkt value the player at £75m. A few years ago that would be about right but the Premier League market has been massively inflated this summer. Elliot Anderson has already moved for £116m. Sandro Tonali has been sold for £100m. On that evidence, Rogers is worth the fee Chelsea are paying for him.

Regardless of the price, however, this is a massive blow for Arsenal. As Premier League champions, they should have the freedom to sign who they like. This summer was not meant to be a challenging one. However, it is quickly becoming a struggle.

In Rogers, Arteta had found his perfect player. Premier League-proven, English, direct, aggressive, a physical beast and a maverick, there is so much to like about the Villa man.

While the vast majority of his football in the Midlands has been as a no.10, he did learn his trade out on the flanks and how Arsenal needed someone with world-class quality to play out on that left hand side.

Christos Tzolis may well be on his way to the Emirates but after the departure of Leandro Trossard to Besiktas, sourcing a proven replacement is so important.

It’s important for supporters not to lose their heads entirely. There may well be even better opportunities lying in wait but considering how much Arsenal need a winger and that this was Arteta’s leading option to reinforce the wide areas, it is a bitter pillow to swallow.

Will they spend £100m on anybody? Well, given past comments from co-owner Josh Kroenke, that player would have to be pretty damn good, just like one of Rogers’ England colleagues.

Arsenal have struck gold on their own £100m plus man

Speaking in the aftermath of Arsenal’s title win in May, co-owner Josh Kroenke described the acquisition of a certain Declan Rice as a “big moment” in the project and it’s easy to see why. They had beaten Manchester City to one of the best young midfielders in the land.

Fast forward three years and he is one of the best in the world, discussed in the conversation to win the Ballon d’Or. While that feels rather unlikely at this stage, it speaks volumes of the type of player and character the Gunners have in their armoury.

The England international has been suffering with his fitness, dealing with severe neural pain during the World Cup, but he has only been going from strength to strength since arriving and would benefit from the addition of a new midfielder arriving in north London.

Rice does look rather knackered right now. Another midfielder and a midfielder of Bruno Guimaraes’ class would give him more rest. That is certainly required.

To testify just how important the 27-year-old is to Arsenal, no outfield player played more minutes for the club last season than him.

It is difficult to drop him though. This is one of Europe’s elite players, he can do it all. There is a reason many think he is the modern iteration of a certain Patrick Vieira. Rice is fearless, he’s a tough tackler, a duel winner, but he’s also aggressive in his running. Very few can get near him when he’s in full flight.

Rice arrived as more of a defensive minded midfielder but he has become a box-crashing number 8 over the last two years. He has registered the two best seasons of his career when it comes to goal involvements and has never been more involved in that regard.

He’s not bad from corners and free-kicks either. Sky Sports reporter Sam Blitz stated last season that he is now “the best set-piece taker in world football.”

Those two free-kicks against Real Madrid in 2025 tell you all you need to know. Meanwhile, last term, he ranked among the top 3% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for expected assists from corner kicks. The rate at which he creates a goalscoring opportunity from those situations is incredible.

Rice isn’t just about those moments, however. He’s a leader of men, he’s one of the most vocal players in the team. Many think he should be the club captain. It would not be a surprise that if one day, he was given the armband on a permanent basis. Truth be told, he should still be the most expensive English player ever.

Has anyone ever made a £100m plus fee look like a bargain? Rice has. Arsenal have well and truly hit the jackpot on his signing. According to Transfermarkt, he is now worth a whopping £102m, more than Rogers. To Arteta, however, he is priceless.