Emile Heskey Warns Morgan Rogers to Stay at Aston Villa

Emile Heskey has advised Morgan Rogers to stay at Aston Villa despite interest from Arsenal and Chelsea. The 22-year-old midfielder scored 14 goals in over 50 appearances for Villa last season. Heskey fears Rogers may be “wasted” at a bigger club and urged him to continue developing under Unai Emery. Villa reportedly value him at £50m.

As the summer transfer window heats up, Emile Heskey has issued a word of caution to England midfielder Morgan Rogers amid growing interest from Arsenal and Chelsea. The 22-year-old had a stellar 2024–25 season with Aston Villa, scoring 14 goals in over 50 appearances and starring with a Champions League hat-trick. His performances helped Villa finish sixth in the Premier League and make deep runs in Europe and the FA Cup.

Arsenal, already closing in on Martin Zubimendi in a £55 million deal, and Chelsea have both been linked with Rogers, with Villa reportedly valuing him at £50 million. Despite the buzz, Heskey, a former Villa and England striker, advised Rogers to remain at Villa Park and continue developing. He warned that moving to a bigger club could limit his playing time and stall his progress.

Pep Guardiola, speaking earlier, praised Rogers as an “exceptional” talent who emerged too early to break into a star-studded Manchester City midfield. Rogers recently started in England's World Cup qualifier against Andorra and featured in a friendly loss to Senegal. Heskey also addressed Marcus Rashford’s future, noting that while the forward impressed on loan at Villa, the financials of a permanent deal could disrupt the club's wage structure.