Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso believes Morgan Rogers has all the qualities needed to make an immediate impact after completing his club-record move from Aston Villa.The England international joined the Blues in a deal worth £117 million last week but has not travelled on the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and South-East Asia after featuring at the World Cup. Rogers is instead expected to report for training at Cobham on 9 August, leaving him just under two weeks to prepare for Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Fulham.Speaking to reporters in Sydney ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Western Sydney Wanderers, Alonso said Chelsea targeted Rogers because of his ability to settle quickly and raise the team’s level.“For sure, it’s a great signing,” Alonso said. “In that position we needed an important player and I’m sure there were not many better options than Morgan Rogers.”“You need players who can have that almost instant impact and I am sure Morgan won’t need much time to adapt to the club, to the system, to his team-mates. That was the idea that we wanted, to get a top player and Morgan is one of them.”Chatting to Xabi. 🇪🇸Watch the full interview on CFC+ 📺— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 28, 2026Alonso backs Rogers to make instant Chelsea impactAlonso also highlighted Rogers’ versatility as one of the key reasons behind Chelsea’s pursuit.“One of his best qualities is that he is flexible. In that pocket position, close to the striker, close to our No 10, but he’s played as well on the right side, but more coming from the left,” he said.“He feels he is enjoying his game, his flow, and I am sure he will have good connections with the other players around him. If we get those connections right, that will be a great step forward in the quality of our game.”Chelsea are also closing in on the signing of Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix after agreeing terms on a £52 million deal. While Alonso stopped short of discussing the transfer directly, he stressed the importance of building a balanced squad capable of improving on last season’s 10th-place Premier League finish.“We want to build a competitive team,” Alonso added. “We have great quality, great talent, and we need to know what it takes to compete in the Premier League. We want a squad with the right balance between quality and mentality.”Read more – Welbeck urged to snub Chelsea and rejoin Man UtdSee Also- PSG talent Mbaye offered to Liverpool and Man CityFollow the Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTokThe post Alonso backs Rogers to make instant Chelsea impact appeared first on The Football Faithful.