It was going to take some time to negotiate but for all the world, it looked like Morgan Rogers would join Arsenal this summer.
The Aston Villa man allegedly wanted the move and he was being proclaimed as Mikel Arteta’s number one target.
Therefore, to see him agree a £117m deal to sign for Chelsea really hurts. It will frustrate Arteta no end.
Ultimately, it comes down to the price tag. Realistically, as much as the Gunners wanted him, they were never going to match that price tag. Still, it’s time for Arsenal to start behaving like Premier League champions.
A year ago, Liverpool looked to capitalise on their success with the £116m and £125m arrivals of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. It showed that the Reds mean business. So far, Andrea Berta and Co are yet to seal of a signing of any great magnitude.
How Arsenal can overcome their Morgan Rogers setback
To date, Illan Meslier remains the sole addition this summer, that’s if you discount the club making Piero Hincapie’s loan move permanent.
A deal for Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis is edging closer to completion after Leandro Trossard was sold to Besiktas but that is not the needle moving signing that supporters have been craving since winning the league.
Supporters did have their doubts about Rogers. Arsenal need an elite left winger this summer and the England man is more of a no.10. Therefore, to pass up the opportunity to make him the most expensive English player of all time is fair enough.
Where could they turn to next? Well, it is well documented that they are fans of PSG’s Bradley Barcola and he could well be a better signing anyway.
In France, the left winger has proven himself to be one of the most dangerous wide players in Europe. He netted 21 and assisted another 21 back in 2024/25, before adding another 13 goals and seven assists so his tally for the club last season.
He’s quick, direct, he’s wonderful with the ball at his feet and as he proved at the World Cup, scoring three times, he’s a ruthless finisher too.
Barcola is not the only option for Arsenal this summer. They are also targeting Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi and there have been tentative suggestions that Vinicius Junior could be on the move.
However, there’s a new face on their radar now and he might be a little bit cheaper than Rogers.
Why £101m winger could solve Arsenal’s Rogers setback
If you hadn’t already gathered, Arsenal really need to sign a new winger this summer, not least because Trossard has already departed but also because Bukayo Saka is nursing an achilles issue.
Sure, Tzolis may well be on the way but they need someone of elite standing, a really exciting player capable of taking Arteta’s attack to the next level.
They need a similar player to Saka but on the left. For so long, the Englishman has carried the club’s attack but that has come at the detriment of his own fitness and form.
In 2024/25, he spent several months out with a torn hamstring and in 2025/26 more fitness issues caused a loss of form. The World Cup was tough for him too, even if he did round things off with a hat-trick in the bronze medal game.
Rogers would have been the perfect tonic. Barcola would be a superb signing too. However, the latest rumours concern RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande. Fabrizio Romano revealed on his YouTube channel this Sunday that despite already agreeing personal terms with PSG, “over the last few days, Arsenal made some calls to the agents of Yan Diomande” to understand his situation in Germany.
Cut from a similar cloth as Barcola and Saka, he’d be such a captivating addition to the Arsenal frontline. He’s got all the qualities to thrive in Arteta’s side.
Aged just 19 and valued at around £101m, the Ivorian is still so raw but his dazzling style of play is complemented by end product. Last term, the teenager scored 13 goals and supplied ten assists. Like Saka, he’s a creative and goalscoring menace who is so positive with his actions.
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Saka vs Diomande – 2025/26 league comparison |
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|---|---|---|
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Stats (per 90 mins) |
Saka |
Diomande |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.24 |
0.44 |
|
Big chance involvement |
0.81 |
1.05 |
|
Shots |
2.87 |
1.93 |
|
Open play expected assists |
0.23 |
0.37 |
|
Shot-ending carries |
1.86 |
2.11 |
|
Successful dribbles |
2.02 |
4.29 |
|
Progressive actions |
7.00 |
9.60 |
|
Progressive carries |
4.77 |
5.63 |
|
Progressive passes |
2.22 |
3.96 |
Comparing the key stats for a wide player last term, it’s a resounding win for Diomande. That shows how good of a signing Arsenal could land here.
The Ivorian had a far more productive campaign, scoring more non-penalty goals and from fewer shots too. He was a lot more clinical than Saka.
The similarities are outlined in their ability to progress play. Both Diomande and Saka rank among the top 8% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
That rubberstamps their ability to get up the pitch quickly and beat a man. Very few players on the continent are as efficient at getting their team up the pitch as these two wingers.
For so long, Arsenal have been crying out for a similarly direct winger to Saka on the left hand side and in Diomande, a maverick style winger, they would finally find that. Morgan Rogers, who?