Morgan Rogers, who was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham this summer, has addressed the speculation over his future and his future at Aston Villa.
Spurs were linked with a whole host of attacking midfielders before they eventually secured Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in the final days of the transfer window.
One of those was the Aston Villa man, with several sources claiming that Tottenham wanted to test Villa’s resolve to hold onto Rogers.
It was suggested by some sources that Spurs were ready to break the bank for Rogers, but according to various journalists, Villa made it clear to the Lilywhites that they would not be selling their star midfielder.
Morgan Rogers admits he loves playing under Unai Emery amid Tottenham links
Rogers has said that he is delighted to remain at the Midlands club, revealing that he has a fantastic relationship with Unai Emery, who makes him feel special.
The 23-year-old suggested that the Spaniard allows him the freedom to express himself on the pitch, claiming the former Arsenal boss is exactly the kind of coach he needs at this stage of his career.
When asked about the support from Emery and the speculation over his Villa future all summer, the England international told talkSPORT: “It means everything as a player, when you feel wanted, when you feel loved, when you feel like they want you to be there and they want you to be a key member of the squad.
“It’s alright having outside noise and fans liking you, that’s one thing, but to have the manager, he’s the one that makes the decisions, picks the teams. To have that real backing and that real love behind you, that means everything to me.
“He just allows me to play football and express myself and he knows like me, I’m not always going to get it right or be perfect, but he trusts me to this point where he knows that I’m going to give it my all.
“If it works then great and, if it doesn’t, we move on to the next game and go again and we try even harder. To have that manager behind me is perfect and it’s just what I needed at this time in my career.”
Why Tottenham may struggle to prise Rogers away in January
It remains to be seen if Tottenham Hotspur go back in for Rogers in January, but based on his statement, it does not sound like he is going to ask to leave Villa anytime soon.
It is going to be hard to convince him to move six months before a World Cup, as his focus will be on keeping his place in the England squad.
Tottenham may feel they have a better chance of signing the former Middlesbrough man next summer, but that would depend on how Villa and the Lilywhites perform this campaign.
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