The England striker made an early impact for the Blues, with his opening goal coming in in the 3-2 Premier League win against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday. The 24-year-old made his debut in charge of Xabi Alonso and gave a first glimpse of his talents for the Blues.
Chelsea made the British club record transfer of £117m ($159.51m) for Rogers from Aston Villa last month to become a major transfer in the club’s history. The money was well spent as he netted the second goal for Chelsea with his side foot.
Rogers also had a good partnership with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro in the attacking trio and demonstrated the attacking threat which could be found at the back of Alonso’s backline. The narrow win, however, revealed vulnerable areas where the new head coach will have to improve down the road as the season wears on.
He admitted in the match that he was starting to feel the effects, and was replaced by the former Aston Villa forward with around 10 minutes to play. Pre-season is an important period for me to make sure that I can get acclimatised in the best way possible to the environment and stay physically fit,” Rogers said.
“I didn’t feel that sharp towards the end, I was a bit tired and that’s why I came off,” Rogers said on Chelsea’s official website.
Despite the tiredness, Rogers feels there’s a long way to go as he gets to know Alonso’s system and his new teammates. His deal with Palmer and Pedro will be a crucial one for Chelsea to reckon with as they seek to combine their attacks.
Alonso’s win ensured he got a good head start in the Premier League, while Rogers’ first game brought some early joy to the team that’s made a huge investment in him. The club will now be hoping the forward can improve on his first outing as the season goes on.
