According to The Sun, Birmingham legend Paul Tate says Rogers showed extraordinary talent at age 4, and by age 6, he was already dominating children aged 10 to 13 in training sessions.

The man who first discovered this £117 million Chelsea talent is confident Rogers stood out from a very young age. On Sunday, Rogers will travel to face Arsenal, who also tried to sign him last summer. Rogers will hope to help Chelsea continue their perfect start to the season. Arsenal were unwilling to significantly increase their £80 million offer to Aston Villa for the winger—a decision that could prove costly at the Emirates Stadium.

Rogers, 24, began his football journey in his hometown of Hathersage, West Midlands. Tate, who runs a football school in south Birmingham, recalls his first meeting with Rogers.

Tate said: "I used to run Saturday morning training sessions for kids at Hathersage, and I still do. Morgan's parents brought him along when he was four years old.

"From the start, he was on a completely different level from the other kids, even then. His dribbling, his awareness, his speed, his two-footedness, and his movement were all exceptional. I was genuinely impressed."

Tate, himself a talented young player at Birmingham, continued to move Rogers up through older age groups. By around age six, Rogers was already outshining children in the 10 to 13 age group.

Tate, 55, also had connections through the late renowned scout Steve Hopcroft. Hopcroft worked at Birmingham before moving to West Brom and then Aston Villa.

Tate said: "I really liked West Brom's academy system at that time. I made contact with West Brom through Steve—who sadly passed away a few months ago—and Mark Harrison, who was the academy director at West Brom.

"Every player I felt deserved further development, I would take him there. After Morgan did one training session, Hoppy called and said: 'We want him'."

At that time, Rogers was already playing for local side Harlescott Hawks, so he had to stop training with Tate on Saturday mornings.

Tate stated: "I let the kids play and express themselves. I think that's why he performed so well. He was able to do whatever he wanted and enjoy it.

"When players join an academy, clubs often try to mold them into what they want, and many end up becoming robots. I just gave them the freedom to play with smiles on their faces, and that's how Rogers was back then."

Rogers later moved from West Brom to Manchester City's academy and was recruited by Middlesbrough in July 2023. During the January 2024 transfer window, Aston Villa signed Rogers for an initial £8 million fee, and there was some internal doubt at the club until manager Unai Emery approved the deal.

Tate revealed: "About nine months before Villa signed Morgan, I spoke with Hopcroft about him.

"At that time, they weren't that interested, feeling he was 'a bit off'. They had watched him play and were hesitant. Not long after, they bought him.

"It shows that anything can happen in football. Maybe you need a bit of luck, or a manager who believes in you."

Rogers quickly became a regular for Emery in the days after arriving at Villa Park from Teesside.

Emery's team typically uses a free forward who can operate across the front line. This allows Rogers to revert to his familiar style of play and also helps Villa generate significant revenue from him, although Middlesbrough retain a substantial sell-on clause.

Tate added: "To get the best out of him, you have to let him keep doing what he does at Villa.

"He finds space, he's very intelligent, and he knows where to be on the pitch. You don't want to turn him into a rigid player. Xabi Alonso is a top manager, and I'm confident he won't do that.

"His work ethic is excellent, and he's not a one-dimensional player. He's tall and strong, standing 1.91 meters, so he doesn't lose the ball easily.

"He and Palmer will work well together. Palmer also has something to prove after missing the World Cup. But for Chelsea, I'm not so sure; I'm not sure what they'll become.

"The days when you knew exactly how a team would play and who would start are gone. The era of Terry, Lampard, and Drogba is over.

"Now Chelsea have too many players to count, and many young players out on loan. Chelsea has become a big business.

"So, I'm somewhat concerned about Morgan and what will happen to him next. What is Chelsea's actual identity? But I have complete faith in his ability.

"He's been through a lot by now, and I really hope he continues to succeed at Stamford Bridge. It's incredible to think that years ago, he was just a young lad running around in the mud at Hathersage, happily playing football.

"Then he won the Europa League with Villa, played for England, became a Chelsea player, and was valued at £117 million.

"Did I think he'd achieve all of this back then? Not at all. But his talent always shone like a beacon.

"So, no one could have predicted all of this. But did I think it was possible back then? One hundred percent, yes."

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