Monchi has explained how he had to look beyond Morgan Rogers’ history before bringing him to Aston Villa.
AS have an interview with the Spanish director today as he gets underway at Espanyol, looking to turn them around as he has done with clubs in the past.
Morgan Rogers success
The Spaniard is seen as something of a transfer guru after successful spells at Sevilla. He built the best team in their history and won several European trophies alongside Unai Emery. He was equally successful in the market during his brief stint at Aston Villa.
Working under difficult financial circumstances due to PSR and UEFA regulations, Monchi was still able to secure several players who have gone on to flourish under Unai Emery’s guidance.
Chief among them is Morgan Rogers. He signed from Middlesbrough for an initial £8m but has gone on to become a star under the Spanish coach.
Now the 23-year-old is considered one of the best in the Premier League and a fully-fledged England international. Indeed, he is likely to compete with Jude Bellingham for a starting spot in Thomas Tuchel’s team at the World Cup this summer.
Aston Villa logic at Espanyol
He’s now valued at €90m. And he’s being linked with the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich as well.
Monchi is taking the credit for finding him. And has now explained that he had to look beyond Rogers’ previous failures when signing him for Aston Villa.
“With globalisation, it’s already very difficult to find top players for one or two million,” he said.
“More than taking risks, I have to decide based on what they can be. Not what they are. Bet on that kid who hasn’t succeeded at Brighton or Pisa for whatever reason, but about whom we have a good track record of reports.
“I’ve done it before. Éver Banega is the best player I’ve ever had technically, and he was sidelined at Valencia. Morgan Rogers was a castoff at City. He didn’t succeed at Blackpool or Bournemouth. Today he’s a top five player for the England national team.”
🇮🇹 Matias Soule | Players wants transfer to Aston Villa ➡️ Agent visits training ground for talks https://t.co/KptrKYapYp #avfc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) June 12, 2026
