Aston Villa are building a squad for the future, with a whole host of talented youngsters staking their claims in the first team this season.
Jhon Duran is showing his worth as an elite goalscorer, having scored four goals already this season in only 131 Premier League minutes, whilst Jacob Ramsey, Ian Maatsen, Lamine Bogarde and Kosta Nedelijkovic all other notable names.
But one of the best young players who is really showing his importance this season is Morgan Rogers.
The 22-year-old has impressed at the start of this campaign, most notably against Arsenal, despite losing 2-0.
Morgan Rogers vs Arsenal
Villa haven’t particularly been lacking a talisman since a certain Jack Grealish departed, but Rogers is showing shades of the tricky Manchester City star with the way he glides forward with the ball.
Jack Grealish's time at Villa
Jack Grealish left Aston Villa back in 2021 for a fee of £100m, making him the biggest transfer in British football history at the time.
The Englishman made 213 appearances for the Villans, scoring 32 goals, providing 41 assists, and totalling 15,338 minutes played for the club.
His play style was described as “playing in a playground with his schoolmates” by ex-Villa manager, Dean Smith, who waxed lyrical about his balance whilst carrying the ball.
Grealish would mix agility, balance, and end product, often bailing Villa out of trouble, as teams had to double or even triple-team him to stop him.
The 29-year-old has since gone on to make 131 appearances for Manchester City, scoring 14 goals, providing 19 assists in 8,698 minutes played, winning a few Premier Leagues, and a Champions league along the way.
Despite Rogers now having arrived, they may well have missed the boat on a dream replacement for the former club captain.
Emile Smith-Rowe could have replaced Grealish
Back in 2021, when Grealish left the club, Villa were linked with a move for Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe. The Villans had two bids rejected and as a result, were forced to move on to other targets. The likes of Emiliano Buendia and Danny Ings arrived instead.
Buendia has since had cruel luck with injury – that cannot be helped of course – but one does wonder what might have happened if they got a move for Smith Rowe over the line instead.
The highly rated Hale End academy product was described as “dynamic” by one analyst on social media, who praised his technique and aggression when carrying the ball into space, certainly eye-catching qualities.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.
This ability to carry the ball, progress, play, and make things happen, is exactly what Villa needed to replace to fill the void of Grealish leaving the club, but a deal did not materialise, and now Smith-Rowe has joined Fulham this summer, for a fee of £27m initial, plus add ons which could take the deal to £34m total.
Since moving to Craven Cottage, he has turned into a “monster” – as Troy Deeney described – and is now even outperforming the aforementioned Rogers.
Goals
0.48
0.00
Assists
0.24
0.33
Progressive Carries
2.75
3.50
Progressive Passes
5.00
3.33
Shots Total
2.38
2.00
Key Passes
0.75
2.17
Passes into Final Third
3.50
2.00
Shot-Creating Actions
2.75
4.67
Tackles
2.25
0.83
Whilst Smith-Rowe and Rogers are performing relatively closely in their metrics, the Fulham man has shown more of a completeness to his game, notably scoring two goals and supplying one assist.
Offering progression via passing and carrying, having a high shot volume, creating for himself and others, and also doing the dirty work, winning 2.25 tackles per 90.
Rogers is a different type of player, who can link up really well in tight spaces, drive into space with his lengthy frame, and escape opposition players, but if Villa wanted someone to replace Grealish from all those years ago, Smith-Rowe definitely would have been better option over Buendia.
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1 ByJoe NuttallSep 26, 2024