REVEALED: PEP GUARDIOLA FINALLY BREAKS SILENCE ON WHY MORGAN ROGERS WAS SOLD FOR CHEAP
Morgan Rogers admits he "wasn't good enough" for Man City before sinking United. See why Villa’s £15m star is now elite.
This Englishman joined Middlesbrough but didn’t chill for long. He banged in seven goals with nine assists. Then, Aston Villa smartened up and grabbed him. Word is, they paid £8m, maybe rising to £15m, but Man City gets 25 per cent because of a sell-on thingy.
Bet the big shots at Man City are kicking themselves now, wondering why they ever let that Villa star slip away.
Guardiola Thinks Morgan Rogers Is a 'Great Player'
Guardiola even talked about why they let him go. Back in 2024, he said some stuff to the press that sounds kind of funny now. The Man City boss said:
You know how it goes with some players? We were winning everything. Sometimes it’s just the right time to give someone a shot. Everyone knows Morgan's got skills. Lots of guys went out on loan or got sold.
He was young, and we already had players who were killing it and helping us win big.
Sometimes they show up a few years too early. Back then, Kevin was at his best, and we also had David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane, and Raheem Sterling. It was tough to break through. That’s all there was to it.
I’m glad things are going well for him because he’s a good dude. He blew up last season, and now he’s a really, really good player. England has another great player.
Morgan Rogers Says He Wasn't 'Good Enough' for Man City
City isn't the first team to let a star player go because they didn't spot how good he could be. Arsenal had Harry Kane in their youth team, and guys like Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne didn't shine at Chelsea before becoming legends somewhere else.
I just wasn’t good enough, period. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t the guy they thought they were getting. It just wasn’t the right fit for the club or me.
It's cool to see a player own up like that. Maybe that attitude is why he’s gotten so much better so fast.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.