Morgan Rogers causes outrage with comments minutes after signing Chelsea contract

Morgan Rogers has caused a stir with a remark made after his £117 million move from Aston Villa to Chelsea was announced.

Rogers, 23, moves to Stamford Bridge in a British record deal after Chelsea had a bid accepted by Villa on Saturday.

He has signed a six-year contract, with the option of an additional year.

The England midfielder will not join up with the rest of his team-mates yet as he is on his summer break following the World Cup.

But he did conduct his first interview with Chelsea's official website, commenting on how excited he is to work with his England and former Manchester City academy team-mate Cole Palmer.

He also opened up on his conversations with new manager Xabi Alonso, explaining: "I think it's important for me to be here that I need to understand what the manager's like, how he is and how he wants to operate.

"It very much fits with the way I see the game, the way I want to play, and the way I want to be me, and be free and express myself. Him being a part of that was a massive factor in me being here."

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But it was his very first comment published on the club's website that has rubbed fans up the wrong way.

He described Chelsea as, in his opinion, 'the biggest club in London' - ahead, therefore, of Arsenal.

The Gunners were linked with Rogers throughout the summer, but ultimately decided not to bid. According to Fabrizio Romano, they were not willing to go above a fee of £100 million and pulled out of the race when Chelsea's £117m bid was submitted.

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"Chelsea are the biggest club in London and a club I've always admired since I was a kid," he said.

"I'm really excited about the project with the new manager, the players we've got and where the club is heading. That's why I'm here and I can't wait to get started."

That remark didn't go down well with fans of Arsenal, and even Tottenham, who both claim they are the biggest club in London.

Laura Kirk-Francis, an Arsenal fan and radio host on talkSPORT, said: "Chelsea's recent success is undeniable, right?. Arsenal haven't won a Champions League, this is their first Premier League in more than 20 years.

"No club has the culture and the streets like Arsenal, I'm sorry. You cannot deny that the celebrations that you saw, Chelsea could never.

"I also think it's still a risk to join Chelsea, given their current ownership model. People talk about the banter years for Arsenal, but Arsenal were never in the same mess that Chelsea have been in. The lowest Arsenal finished was eighth [in the Premier League, since Arsene Wenger left], Chelsea have finished 12th.

"So you can say all you want about being the biggest club, et cetera. I still think the position that Arsenal are in, and the relationship they have with the owners, is still much more healthy and better for the long-term than it is for Chelsea."

Rogers pays tribute to Aston Villa after £117m deal done

In his farewell post to Villa, Rogers also described them as 'the biggest club in the city' of Birmingham.

"I'm just a Birmingham kid who was able to represent the biggest team in the city, and that is a proud moment for me and something that will always live with me," he said. "Thank you for taking me in from day one, and allowing me to be me and allowing me to express myself."

He described Villa's Europa League win last season as 'one of the proudest moments of my career', and paid tribute to both his team-mates and the club's fans.

"You've stuck by me through the good and the bad, and that means everything to me," he wrote of the Villa supporters.

"Every time I want to Villa Park and put on that shirt, I gave everything, and it was replicated with how you supported me and helped me through all of the times. We enjoyed some special moments together. This isn't a goodbye, it's a see you soon. I love you all."