Morgan Rodgers’ announcement shows Chelsea have already changed under Xabi Alonso

The £117m signing of the England midfielder signals a change in Chelsea’s transfer policy, with a title challenge next season a real possibility.

It’s a simple photo, but the smiles of Xabi Alonso and Morgan Rodgers can light up a room and should give every Chelsea fan around the world a sense of optimism. Alonso and Rodgers are unlikely sporting directors.

Many of the countless deals made during this owner’s tenure looked more like a business enterprise than a football enterprise. Too many projects looked like projects dreamed up by rich people and agents, and had nothing to do with the people who needed to field a decent team.

But the signing of Rodgers for £117m looks like a pure football move driven by manager and coach Alonso. If they were to lure John Stones to Stamford Bridge, it would be a purely footballing move, similar to their move for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.

This is Alonso’s achievement. The one thing Rodgers is doing under the guidance of Alonso, one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, is thriving.

It may have been a pretty crude psychological ploy to provoke a reaction from Real Madrid players, but there was a time when manager Thomas Tuchel preferred Rodgers to Jude Bellingham. And Rodgers never let Tuchel down. Rodgers never let England down.

Rodgers turns 24 on Sunday and has a lot of work to do to develop. Especially now that I’ll be in a harness with my great friend Cole Palmer. Rodgers’ words to Palmer gave supporters further reason to be optimistic.

“He’s constantly ringing my phone and texting me, so I can’t wait. Playing with one of my best friends and being around him every day is probably the most special thing. That’s what I’m really excited about.”

And what Chelsea fans should be very excited about is the fact that it highlights Palmer’s commitment to the club, which was not necessarily taken for granted, especially by some sections of the fanbase.

Chelsea are also one of the clubs making a bid for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, and a nine-figure fee for the Argentine would make him a very reliable replacement for Enzo Fernandes.

Rodgers, maybe Stones, and maybe Scott – these are established players in the Premier League. It’s clear that Rodgers’ compensation is high, to say the least. But Rodgers brings a level of versatility that Alonso likes.

If Alonso uses the back-three system that served him so well at Bayer Leverkusen, there could be a tantalizing possibility of Palmer and Rodgers lining up as a dual No. 10. Last season, Rodgers made 55 appearances for Aston Villa, scoring 14 goals and providing 12 assists.

Over the past two seasons, Rodgers has scored 18 goals and provided 16 assists in the Premier League. That’s a very good number.

It’s clear that a lucrative seven-year contract had a lot to do with Rodgers’ choice of club, but it’s also clear that working with the manager had something to do with it. There is no doubt that Alonso is a player to watch with potential signings, and with Chelsea in mind, there will likely be more such players this summer.

A number of players are also expected to be released, all of whom will be shipped with Alonso’s blessing. In other words, it would be good traditional transfer business for a good traditional manager.

Although he has yet to manage a game, the immediate effect of Alonso’s arrival has been to make a dysfunctional club look like a functional challenger again. It remains to be seen how Alonso and Chelsea will actually perform in terms of performance and results, but it will certainly be one of the Premier League’s more compelling stories.

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