Chelsea star Morgan Rogers revealed he cleared the air immediately following his altercation with Declan Rice .
The England teammates clashed at the Emirates after Arsenal midfielder Rice tripped Rogers during their London derby earlier this month. Rogers angrily pushed Rice and was taunted by Arsenal fans, who jeered him by shouting that he should have signed for the Gunners instead.
However, Rogers insists he is "absolutely fine" with Rice and that the pair shook hands immediately after the final whistle.
-Credit:Stuart MacFarlane, Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Rogers said, via The Mirror : "It's just competitors competing and wanting to win. London derby, me getting absolutely dog's abuse by the fans doesn't help! All emotions come into one at that moment, but Dec and I are fine.
"We spoke about it after the game. We're completely fine. It's just one of those things in football, we want to win.
"That's actually a good thing - showing that we put friendships and everything aside and just want to win for our clubs and do what it takes. Sometimes tempers rise a little bit, but it's all good."
Rogers and Rice became the subjects of viral memes, with AI even generating footage depicting a dressing room confrontation. Deepfake quotes about the incident also circulated online, and Rogers admits he simply laughed them off after they were brought to his attention.
He added: "It's quite funny being sent them. AI's going to the next level now at the moment. Anything you do now can end up in anything. It's quite funny. If it's anything to do with me I just laugh about it."
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When questioned about the video, he grinned: "Did I win?" Upon confirmation, he responded: "It's about right then.
"I'm happy to be at Chelsea. Enjoying the new managers' ideas, enjoying the new players, the different surroundings. I think it was time for a new challenge, a change for me, and it's come at a good time. So I'm happy and enjoying it."
Rogers also describes it as "mind-boggling" to consider that he could etch his name into Chelsea's storied legacy. He turned down interest from clubs like Arsenal and Bayern Munich to sign with Chelsea this summer, believing it was the "right time" to elevate his career to the next tier for both club and country.
The Three Lions star is also keenly conscious of Chelsea's English heritage through legends like John Terry, Frank Lampard , Ashley Cole and others. Rogers explained: "That and also the fact that when I was growing up, Chelsea were one of the biggest teams, winning titles.
"If you look at when I was born to the titles that they won, in the prime years of me first watching football, it's your early [José] Mourinho, late Mourinho, and all those players you've mentioned Terry, Lampard. They're the ones that I looked up to in the Premier League.
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"So when they come in and there's an opportunity for me to go there, it's mind-boggling to think that I can be part of that history of that club. I'm so excited by the prospect of doing something special at that club.
"Of course, there's still a way to go and we've got things to do, but the prospect of winning and competing at the highest level at Chelsea really caught me and I really wanted to go. That's why I'm there."
The £117 million ($156.5 million) price tag carries with it significant pressure and heightened expectations, yet Rogers appears both confident and mentally equipped to shoulder that burden. In fact, the winger embraces it, eager to be measured against the highest standards with both England and Chelsea.
Rogers said: "I think people are gonna look at me differently. I think people are going to judge me on probably a higher pedestal of what I'm delivering, whether it's worth what I'm being talked about.
"But for me, I can't get too bogged down in that. It's just to me about playing my game, playing football. I can't control how people view me and how people look at me.
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"I just want to give positive performances for my country and to achieve something special with my country, which is something I've wanted to do ever since I started playing football, and to be here now, I don't want that to pass me by.
"For my last game to be winning the Europa League final was just the perfect way for me to end an unbelievable time in my journey.
"I went from someone who no one really knew about to being an established player in the Premier League, which is something I owe to that club, those players and fans for making me feel like that.
"I just feel Chelsea brings that different level of pressure of having to win and perform each game.
"And then the calibre of players I'm playing with and training with every day, that's taken a whole new level and it's made me have to improve and get even better and to understand how to get to that next level as well myself. I'm in a great environment to do so and it's just about moving forward with the team."
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While Rogers wasn't guaranteed a starting spot at the FIFA World Cup, he undoubtedly left his mark, delivering a standout display in the semi-final along with vital contributions from the bench throughout the tournament.
He takes justified pride in those performances, rating his experience at Chelsea so far a "ten out of ten" for enjoyment, while also acknowledging that representing England has been an invaluable chapter in his development.
Rogers added: "There's still ways to go for what I want to achieve in an England shirt as well. Of course I wanted to make a bigger impact at the World Cup, you always do, and that's the good thing about football.
"You can always do better and do more, and that's the exciting part for me moving forward. But I was pretty happy with how I played at the World Cup, how I gave a different outlook and feel when I was on the pitch. There are some moments I can be proud on, looking back."
