Chelsea aren't hanging about this summer, and rightly so.

At the start of the Xabi Alonso era, the need for reinforcements has been stark, with Chelsea slumping to a tenth-place finish in the Premier League last season, finishing below the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton and Sunderland, missing out on Europe.

Morgan Rogers has been signed for a record-breaking £116m fee, and more recently, a £52m move for Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix has been tied up.

Rogers has arrived for a staggering sum, but it is symptomatic of the modern market. At least Chelsea have the Three Lions man on the books, ready to become a superstar and maybe even outstrip Chelsea's other big-money signings.

How Chelsea's most expensive signings have fared

For Rogers, the jury will stay out for a while, but he has enough experience for club and country to be expected to take centre-stage for Chelsea, leading them back into the limelight and toward the biggest titles on show.

Chelsea's big-money signings have been something of a mixed bag. Rogers is the club's record arrival, and behind him, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. The respective midfielders are among the finest in the Premier League, but they have failed to prevent one of the more turbulent spells in the Blues' modern history, and there will surely be hope that brighter days are ahead - especially with Rogers now in the mix.

Fernandez may leave. He wants to go, but has been transfer-listed at £120m by BlueCo. Jordan Henderson is on the verge of signing for the Londoners in a move to bring experience and leadership to Alonso's set-up - the same logic applies to the bid for Brighton's Danny Welbeck - but if the Argentine does leave, he will do so with a greater reputation than Romelu Lukaku, whose return to Stamford Bridge was an abject one. He only scored eight times in the Premier League in 2021/22, leaving a lot to be desired throughout.

Rogers does have the wind in his sails, and it feels like he could be the pick of the bunch. There is something different about Chelsea's strategy this summer, with another expensive target a further illustration of the club's streamlined transfer approach.

Chelsea preparing bid for their next Rogers

Rogers scored 31 goals and supplied 29 assists across two full seasons at Villa Park, spending half a term learning the ropes beforehand after his £8m move from Middlesbrough. His expertise as a left-sider and a more centralised attacking threat established him as a top target for Alonso, who is delighted to have landed such a rare weapon to partner the likes of Cole Palmer.

The England star is still developing, though, and Chelsea could repeat a trick and sign their next version of the 23-year-old in the coming weeks, with Caught Offside revealing that they are preparing an offer to sign Bournemouth's Alex Scott.

Arsenal are also in the mix, but Chelsea are firm favourites to complete a deal for the 22-year-old this summer after he rejected a contract extension at the Vitality Stadium. Chelsea have already seen a £64m offer knocked back, and may now return with something in the ballpark of £70m.

Scott is obviously not the same stylistic player as Rogers. Whereas Rogers runs down the wide channel or from the centre, looking to burst into the danger area, Scott is a metronomic ball-playing midfielder, though he too is skilled at carrying the ball forward.

After two injury-hit years on the south coast, though, Scott has come into his own over the past year, excelling under Andoni Iraola. He is on the cusp of superstardom in the Premier League, having followed a similar trajectory to Rogers, albeit marginally behind his countryman right now.

Rogers made his name with Boro, while Scott bloomed with Bristol City, with Pep Guardiola hailing him as an "unbelievable player" during one epic performance against Manchester City for the South Western side.

He is the complete package, and while Henderson is headed to Chelsea, Scott could be the dream Fernandez replacement this summer, having won five duels and made 5.6 ball recoveries on average each game across the recent Premier League season.

He might be quite on Rogers' level yet, with his omission from Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the World Cup evidence of his place in the pecking order, but Scott is the real deal, alright, and a year under Alonso's wing at Chelsea will establish him as a sensation.

Chelsea believe they are at the start of something special with Alonso at the helm. Even if Fernandez leaves before the end of summer, signing another Rogers-esque English talent in Scott could catapult this team up the ladder.