Arsenal were the most interested club in Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers, and though Tottenham Hotspur had viewed him as a dream transfer target last year with whispers of links at the beginning of the transfer window, Roberto De Zerbi did not show any verve to challenge the Gunners for a potentially ideal upgrade on the left wing.
And yet, Arsenal still missed out on another top transfer target of theirs in 2026, as a different rival, Chelsea, swiftly stormed in and did what Arsenal did to Tottenham twice last summer; they stole Rogers from under their noses.
Chelsea have just sealed a 117 million pound deal for their latest blockbuster attacking signing, and new manager Xabi Alonso played a key role in recruiting the England national team starter to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Tottenham need to remember to show the love
But according to new information from Simon Johnson, Jacob Tanswell, and James McNicholas of The Athletic, Arsenal made a crucial misstep that cost them Morgan Rogers. Whereas Chelsea made it obvious to Rogers that he was their No. 1 priority transfer target, Arsenal were sending the player mixed messages due to their pursuit of Bournemouth's gem Eli Junior Kroupi, PSG star Bradley Barcola, and even Argentinian international Julian Alvarez. That turned into doubt in Rogers's mind, and since Chelsea showed him more love with Alonso, he went with Mikel Arteta's former Real Sociedad teammate instead.
That is a key lesson for Tottenham Hotspur to glean this summer transfer window, but since they have gone piece by piece with rebuilding the squad and have rarely ever presented an "either or" proposition to an interested target (remember, they made it clear to Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes that they wanted to sign and start BOTH of them), it seems like they understand this.
Signing forwards is a different ball game, though. As Morgan Rogers showed Arsenal, these players need to feel the love from a new club, because competition can get stiff for attacking spots. And Tottenham have major needs in multiple positions, likely needing to sign two left wingers and a new striker to replace Richarlison (or Dominic Solanke, depending on how things shake out).
In addition to Premier League stars Savinho and Cody Gakpo, Tottenham have been linked to Rafael Leao, Bradley Barcola, Eli Junior Kroupi, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ferran Torres, and other big names themselves. Spurs will have to do their best selling under Roberto De Zerbi and go one and a time to avoid getting into the situation Arsenal did with Rogers.
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