Aston Villa may be set to land their own version of Jarod Bowen as they continue to show interest in signing Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough.
It has turned out to be one of the best signings in recent times as West Ham United brought in Jarod Bowen from Hull City.
In a deal worth £20m he has gone on to be worth that and then some. He has since made over 180 appearances for the Irons and scored 54 goals, according to FotMob.
Considering he signed from a Championship club he has gone on to be a Premier League and European regular. He even scored the all-important goal as West Ham won the Europa Conference League last season.
With Vila now being heavily linked to be signing Morgan Rogers, is there any reason why he can’t replicate Bowen’s success?
Morgan Rogers to make Premier League leap
It is a name that hasn’t gone away in the past week when discussing Aston Villa despite coming out of nowhere.
Although many Villa fans may not have known much about a player who has flourished for West Brom and Lincoln, they are excited now.
After two unproductive loan spells with Bournemouth and Blackpool, the former Manchester City man has found his feet.
According to FotMob the Englishman has already scored two goals and assisted six in the Championship this season. Add to this four goals in the EFL Cup and there is plenty of goal output there to take in.
Rogers is a versatile option who would certainly provide a point of difference for Villa in the second half of the campaign. Other than Bertrand Traore, he would become the only out-and-out winger in the squad who isn’t guaranteed a start like Leon Bailey or Moussa Diaby.
Compared to wide midfielders like Nicolo Zaniolo and Jacob Ramsey, Rogers would certainly be something different. Add to this the fact he can even operate as a number nine, he could turn out to be very useful.
There is no guarantee that this move will happen as Boro faces Chelsea in the cup semi-final tonight. A move will have to wait until their future prospects are confirmed.
Michael Carrick rates him highly
This deal is going to be tough to pull off in the January window. Middlesbrough are notoriously tough to get any transfer change out of at the best of times. This has seen them set a high asking price for their young talent.
With that being said, it is also clear to see how much his manager, Michael Carrick rates and wants to keep him. Speaking to Teesside Live recently, the former Manchester United star made his feelings clear on Rogers.
On that, he said: “He creates, he’s dangerous. He’s a huge talent. He is fantastic to work with, he wants to learn and get better all the time and is desperate to give what he can for the team, which is brilliant. He’s got a terrific attitude for the game and is showing his quality.
“Scored some big goals for us, big goals in the cup and the goal against Birmingham here. He’s scored some big goals. He’s very creative. You can see he’s growing here, he’s at home here and belongs here and you can see him growing all the time.”
High praise from a manager who saw it all in the game as a player so when he speaks you listen to his opinions.
This surely shows just how difficult this deal could prove to be to pull off. If Emery wants his main target then he is going to have to fight.
If Bowen is the blueprint then Rogers has to be put in his mould to get the most out of the signing.
