Ian Wright Joins Theo Walcott in Regretting Arsenal’s Missed Chance to Sign Rogers

Ian Wright has added his voice to Theo Walcott’s criticism of Arsenal’s failure to sign Morgan Rogers.

Walcott recently admitted that he wished Arsenal had secured the midfielder before Chelsea completed a major transfer for the player.

Wright shares that view and believes Rogers was exactly the type of attacking player Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wanted.

The former Arsenal striker explained that the Gunners needed another player capable of making a difference alongside Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.

“I think we did need Rogers,” Wright said.

According to Wright, Arsenal had been interested in Rogers for some time and the midfielder would have suited Arteta’s plans.

Rogers eventually joined Chelsea in a deal reportedly worth £117 million.

The transfer represented a significant investment by Chelsea and gave the London club another attacking option ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

Walcott was similarly disappointed.

When asked to choose between Rogers and another player for a combined team, the former Arsenal winger immediately selected the Chelsea midfielder.

“Tzolis, I like him, but it’s Rogers. We should have got him, oh well,” Walcott said.

The comments come at a particularly interesting time because Chelsea are due to travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal.

Rogers could therefore find himself directly involved against the club that Walcott and Wright believe should have signed him.

The midfielder has already made a positive start to his Chelsea career, recording one goal and one assist in his first two games.

That start has added further attention to Arsenal’s decision not to complete a deal.

Arsenal pursued several attacking targets during the transfer window, including Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez, but neither move materialised.

Wright suggested that Arsenal’s focus on other targets may have contributed to the club missing out on Rogers.

Chelsea, meanwhile, were prepared to complete the deal and eventually brought the player to Stamford Bridge.

Arteta has defended Arsenal’s recruitment strategy and has insisted there are no regrets over the club’s transfer decisions.

The Arsenal manager has also highlighted the complexity of squad building, with player departures and other factors influencing recruitment.

Nevertheless, Wright and Walcott believe Rogers would have been a valuable addition.

Their comments are likely to keep the debate alive over Arsenal’s attacking recruitment and whether the club missed an opportunity to strengthen its squad with a player now wearing Chelsea colours.