Carlton Cole says Chelsea summer signing Morgan Rogers ‘messed up’ Arsenal’s transfer window by joining the Blues from Aston Villa.
Rogers, 24, was heavily linked with Arsenal earlier in the summer and during England’s World Cup campaign.
Mikel Arteta identified Rogers as one of his top targets to bolster a Gunners squad that won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final last season.
Arsenal were believed to be leading the race to sign Rogers but Chelsea swooped in with an incredible £117m deal, making the West Brom academy graduate the most expensive British player in history.
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Ex-England striker Cole believes Rogers’ decision to join Chelsea ‘messed up’ Arsenal’s transfer window and says the Gunners still need to sign another attacking midfielder who can play on the left.
Arteta is a known admirer of Bradley Barcola but Arsenal are currently behind Liverpool in that particular transfer race as they are reluctant to meet PSG’s £140m asking price.
‘Arsenal’s squad depth is something else,’ West Ham hero and former Chelsea star Cole said on the Dressing Room podcast.
‘Bruno Guimaraes has come in – he’s a brilliant player – and I still think they probably want one more signing before the window shuts.
‘I know they’re still trying to do a little bit of business. I think they need another left-sided forward, they’re obvious in the running to sign Barcola – they need someone like that.
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‘I think it was supposed to Morgan Rogers, he was supposed to go there, but he opted for Chelsea which messed up Arsenal because I think it was nearly done before Chelsea swooped in and he agreed to go there.
‘I’m joining the biggest club in London,’ Rogers said at his Chelsea unveiling.
‘The way the club wants to go and how it wants to move forward, it is something that I want to be a part of and I think it was just perfect for me.
‘I’m really excited about the project with the new manager, the players we’ve got and where the club is heading. That’s why I’m here and I can’t wait to get started.’
