Rogers’ long-standing friendship with new teammate Palmer even inspired Palmer’s signature “cold” goal celebration.
Palmer debuted the move in December 2023 after scoring twice in a 3-2 victory over Luton, and he has since trademarked it with the UK Intellectual Property Office. The celebration was originally a nod to Rogers, who used it after scoring for Middlesbrough against West Brom.
The pair became close after Rogers left his hometown club West Brom for Manchester City. Both were 16 at the time and soon led the line for City’s FA Youth Cup-winning under-18s in 2020.
Rogers will find more familiar faces at Stamford Bridge. He knows Levi Colwill and Reece James from England duty, while Tosin Adarabioyo, Jamie Gittens, Romeo Lavia and Liam Delap all emerged from City’s academy.
That English core is a major part of the team’s leadership group, alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
The bigger question is how Rogers fits on the pitch, especially given Palmer’s similar profile. England manager Thomas Tuchel selected Rogers ahead of Palmer for this summer’s World Cup, but their versatility means they can feature together or cover each other’s roles.
One view is that Rogers will mainly start on the left, with Palmer as a central number 10. That would leave Estevao Willian, Pedro Neto and new arrival Geovany Quenda battling for the right flank, with Jamie Gittens as backup.
Chelsea are expected to use a back four at times next season, but they are also considering a back three—an approach Alonso deployed to great effect in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2024 title win. In that setup, Palmer and Rogers could operate as dual number 10s, while wingers would drop into deeper wing-back roles.
Chelsea struggled in several areas last season, including a five-match scoreless spell under former head coach Liam Rosenior that led to his dismissal. Rogers, who produced 14 goals and 12 assists in 55 games last season, would bring added threat.
Assuming winger Alejandro Garnacho is sold as planned, Chelsea would have six attackers competing for three forward spots in a season without European fixtures. They also have five senior strikers—Joao Pedro, Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Emmanuel Emegha and Marc Guiu—on the books.
After finishing 10th last season, it’s clear the squad needs streamlining, particularly with a maximum of 51 matches possible even if they reach both domestic cup finals.