Ian Wright on Arsenal's Missed Chance with Morgan Rogers

Ian Wright admits he was “gutted” Arsenal failed to land Morgan Rogers this summer and fears the decision could haunt their title bid.

The former Gunners striker believes Mikel Arteta was left short in a key area after watching Chelsea swoop in and seal a £117m deal for Rogers, just when Arsenal looked to be leading the chase.

The player Mikel wanted

Arsenal moved early to bring in Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and later strengthened with Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa as they looked to upgrade a squad gearing up for another title tilt.

But for Wright, the big miss came on the left of the attack.

Speaking on The Overlap, he 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.

“Mikel has talked about getting players to take us to that level, he did it again after Paris, where we didn’t have that player to break them. That is the player Mikel wanted. They chased Vini until the end of the earth and left Morgan Rogers dangling.”

Rogers, along with Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez, sat high on Arsenal’s list of attacking targets. Yet when the dust settled, it was Chelsea who stepped up and paid the fee, leaving Wright dismayed.

“He [Rogers] is the one we were linked with ages ago and he would have loved to have come, I can feel it,” Wright said.

A missing difference-maker

Arsenal’s attacking core remains strong on paper. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are all back and forming the familiar spine of Arteta’s forward play.

Wright, though, sees a gap.

“You say we have got those types of players but that is what Mikel wanted. It is a position where we need that player. Of course Saka is back, Odegaard is back, Havertz is back and playing together, but he wanted that difference-maker.”

The way the window unfolded still troubles him, particularly the way Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius Junior may have affected their standing with Rogers.

“There’s something that’s happened with Arsenal with the way they were going for Vini. If you’re a player and you see a team going for him, you think, ‘I thought they were interested in me?’ It is the player the manager wanted. 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.”

Chelsea test arrives immediately

Arsenal will not have to wait long to see what they missed. Their next Premier League fixture is away at Chelsea, where Rogers could get an early chance to underline exactly why Arteta wanted him.

Peter Crouch expects a statement result from the hosts.

“Great game! Two teams looking good as well. I’m going to put the cat amongst the pigeons and I’m going to go for a 3-2 Chelsea win. I think they’ve announced themselves as title contenders,” Crouch said.

If Rogers lights up that occasion in blue rather than red, Wright’s sense of regret may only deepen.