Alan Hutton has warned Aston Villa that even a £100 million transfer fee may not be enough to soften the blow of losing Morgan Rogers, as Arsenal continue to monitor the England international.
The 23-year-old has emerged as one of Villa’s most influential players under Unai Emery, attracting strong interest from Arsenal ahead of what could become one of the summer’s biggest transfer stories.
Villa are reportedly unwilling to entertain offers below £100 million, with the club’s valuation influenced by the current transfer market and Middlesbrough’s 20 per cent sell-on clause.
Despite the huge fee being discussed, Hutton believes replacing Rogers would be an enormous challenge due to his impact both on and off the pitch.
Speaking to PariuriX.com, Hutton said: “Rogers would be a massive loss because, even if you receive £100 million, you still have to find someone capable of replacing him.
“When Villa signed him from Middlesbrough, you probably thought he would develop steadily, but nobody expected him to reach this level so quickly.
“He has become such an important player for the team. He gets on with everyone, he is well-liked in the dressing room, and he has the talent to take Villa forward.
“John McGinn has spoken about how grounded he is despite all the success. You need personalities like that alongside players with his quality. Losing him would be incredibly difficult to recover from.”
Rogers is currently part of England’s squad at the World Cup, although Thomas Tuchel has largely used him from the bench, preferring Jude Bellingham in the number 10 role.
Hutton admitted he sympathises with Rogers but believes the Villa star must be ready to seize his opportunity whenever it arrives.
“There was a lot of debate before the World Cup over whether Morgan Rogers or Jude Bellingham would start behind the striker,” Hutton added.
“Bellingham is an outstanding player and has shown his quality for Real Madrid, so you understand why the manager has gone with him.
“For Rogers, it is simply a case of staying patient. It is not because he has done anything wrong. The manager has just chosen a different option.
“But when his chance comes, he has to make the most of it. I have no doubt he has the quality to prove exactly what he can do.”
