Speaking exclusively to Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former Aston Villa, Everton, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness made a compelling case for Villa protecting Morgan Rogers this summer by selling other fringe players first. Wyness, who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, argued that Unai Emery still needs to reshape his squad ahead of next season.
He went through a considerable list of names that Villa could move on, citing players such as Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Leon Bailey, Emi Buendia, Jadon Sancho, and Ross Barkley as saleable assets. His point was that if Villa can piece together sales across four or five of those names, they might just generate enough revenue to keep Rogers at the club, build the squad further, and still benefit from the young talent coming through their academy. The logic is sound on paper, but the problem is that the broader picture around Rogers has shifted dramatically since that conversation.
What did Wyness say?
“When I looked at the squad, I started thinking about which players could be cut.
“There were a number of players that I think have still got some value that could be sold. I mean, I was going through Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez, the keeper, he’s been almost on the brink of going all the time as well.
“Leon Bailey, Emi Buendia, Jadon Sancho, Ross Barkley, all those players. I don’t think the Villa fans would be that upset to see any of those go.
“Now, of course, the big one is Morgan Rogers. Now, he’d be where the real money would be commanded. If they can put together sales for four or five of those that I mentioned, and that could be enough to just get them over the line, but they’ve also then got to improve the squad and there’s still some youth coming through.”
Do Aston Villa Actually Need Rogers, Or Are They Simply Afraid To Lose Him?
Rogers has scored eight goals and contributed five assists across 31 Premier League appearances this season, with 72 shots taken, 30 on target, and a non-penalty xG of 10.29, placing him in the top 89th percentile of Premier League players. The 23-year-old England international is physically commanding, drives hard at defenders, and creates big chances at a rate very few attackers at Villa can match.
His strengths are obvious, and those are elite work rate, intelligent movement, and the ability to play across multiple attacking positions. His weakness, if you can call it that, is a shooting accuracy that sits around 41.67% and occasional over-reliance on volume rather than clinical precision. Rogers won the PFA Young Player of the Year award last season and signed a contract extension until 2031 in November 2025.
However, here is the honest reality as things stand today. Rogers is reportedly ready to leave Aston Villa this summer despite signing that long-term contract last year, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United all tracking him seriously, and a fee of north of £80 to £100 million expected. Reports suggest that Rogers will look to leave Villa Park if the club cannot secure Champions League football for next season. That caveat is crucial.
Aston Villa absolutely need Rogers. He is their most dynamic attacker, and replacing him at that level, for that profile, would cost more than they receive. However, I feel that this summer Rogers will leave. Chelsea’s chase is too advanced, the player’s own ambitions appear clear, and Villa’s financial results suggest they need a significant fee from at least one major sale to fund squad improvements. Wyness’s plan to sell the fringes and keep Rogers is admirable, but it assumes Villa hold all the control, and increasingly, they do not.
