Arsenal are set to step up their pursuit of Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, as Mikel Arteta looks to freshen up his title-winning squad ahead of the new Premier League season.

The Gunners may have won the league for the first time in 22 years last season, but the club’s hierarchy aren’t prepared to sit back and take it easy in the transfer market. With their rivals in a period of transition, the North London club sense they have an opportunity to dominate English football over the coming years.

Rogers is a priority signing for sporting director Andrea Berta, although Villa’s hefty £130million asking price could present a stumbling block in the prospective deal. That said, creative negotiations from Berta could see the transfer over the line.

Arsenal are expected to turn towards Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola if they can’t land the England international, although given the noise around Rogers, it seems likely that Villa will concede and the Gunners will get their man.

Morgan Rogers Could Wear his Favourite Shirt Number at Arsenal

Whenever a major transfer goes through, fans of the club receiving the player become obsessed with every detail around the signing’s arrival. This includes what shirt number the player will wear at their new club, so supporters can envisage them in their team’s colours.

If Rogers arrives at Arsenal, there will certainly be fanfare around his move to North London. The creative midfielder has worn the number 27 throughout his time at Villa, while he also wore this number in his stints at Lincoln City and Bournemouth.

This repeated use of 27 isn’t a coincidence. Speaking to Sky Sports Premier League last year, the 23-year-old revealed why he is attached to the number.

“I went to Lincoln on loan, and it was the only number that looked remotely okay at the time,” he said.

“It wasn’t my number, but I was looking at the numbers and thought none of these [suit me]. It was because it had the seven in, [Cristiano] Ronaldo was my idol growing up.

“So, because it had the seven I picked that. I wasn’t necessarily sold on it but because then I had a good loan, it kinda stuck with me.”

Rogers did indeed enjoy an impressive spell on loan with the Imps, netting six goals and providing two assists across 28 appearances in League One. This earned him a subsequent loan move to Championship side Bournemouth the following season.

“It’s always the number I’d pick if I go to a club.”

The number 27 has been vacant at Arsenal since Brazilian winger Marquinhos donned it in the 2022/23 season, while the likes of Konstantinos Mavropanos, Gervinho and Emmanuel Eboue have also worn it previously at the Emirates Stadium.

Thus, the Gunners can offer Rogers his preferred shirt number, and this could even be a small factor in convincing him to swap the West Midlands for North London this summer.

Alternative Squad Numbers Available to Morgan Rogers at Arsenal

Caean Couto (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

While Rogers’ comments suggest he’s likely to take 27 if he completes a move to Arsenal, he has worn other numbers previously, and he could still be tempted to switch things up at his prospective new club.

After his stint at Bournemouth, Rogers went on loan to Blackpool for a season, and wore the number 25 shirt. The following year, he joined Middlesbrough permanently and wore number ten on Teesside.

While the number ten is held by Eberechi Eze at Arsenal, 25 has been available at the North London club since Mohamed Elneny’s exit in 2024.

Alternatively, Rogers could be tempted to opt for a more iconic number. There are currently no starting eleven numbers available in Arteta’s squad, although two are expected to spring up over the course of the summer.

Gabriel Jesus is expected to leave, making the number nine shirt available. While this shirt is typically associated with strikers, Rogers could reinvent it at Arsenal as his own iconic look.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli may also be on his way out of North London, and this departure would make the number 11 shirt available. Given Arsenal reportedly consider Rogers as an option on the left wing, and the number 11 is typically worn by left wingers, this selection would make a lot of sense.

Elsewhere, the numbers 15, 17 and 18 are vacant at Arsenal, providing Rogers with a host of potential options if he, for some reason, doesn’t go down his trodden 27 path.

Currently available shirt numbers for Rogers at Arsenal: 15, 17, 18, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, and several more above 40.

A World Cup nation has demanded urgent legal action after one of their star players has gone ‘into hiding’ after receiving death threats following the team’s exit this week. The player in question has refused to fly home with his teammates, with him now issuing a heartbreaking plea to his homeland.

This ordeal comes just 32 years after defender Andres Escobar scored an own goal in Colombia’s defeat to hosts the USA – a result that contributed to the team’s elimination. Just days after returning home, he was shot dead outside of a nightclub in Medellin, marking one of the darkest chapters in football history.

While there is no suggestion that this player faces a similar situation, the decision not to travel home yet underlines the seriousness of the issues at hand, with his federation desperately working with authorities to avoid things escalating any further.

World Cup Nation Demands Legal Action As Player Receives Death Threats

Paul Childs via Reuters

Colombia’s World Cup campaign came to a heartbreaking end on Tuesday night as they were eliminated on penalties by Switzerland following a 0-0 draw in Vancouver, Canada. But in the final minutes of extra-time, Jaminton Campaz had a golden opportunity to help his nation clinch a winner, with him skying the ball from close range.

According to Argentine outlet Infobae, Campaz – who plays his club football for Rosario Central – did not board his nation’s flight home to Bogota over serious concerns for his safety. His whereabouts are currently unknown, but the decision follows days of sustained harassment on social media. The Colombian Football Federation responded on Friday by issuing a strong statement condemning the threats:

Eloisa Sanchez via Reuters

The statement also went on to urge the country’s Attorney General’s Office to identify those responsible and prosecute them as quickly as possible.

Jaminton Campaz’s Heartbreaking Plea to Colombia

Albert Gea via Reuters

Campaz has also since took to Instagram to plead for calm – and for his life. “My Colombia, please let us never lose sight of respect,” the 26-year-oldwrote in Spanish on Instagram on Thursday. “We may hold different views or feel frustration and sadness, but no passion justifies hatred or living in fear.

He continued: “Thanks also to my family, who have been my strength at every step and have been by my side during both the happiest and the most difficult moments. To the entire country, I can only say that I share the pain of this elimination. We, too, dreamed of advancing further, and I know the sadness we feel today as Colombians.

“I deeply regret not being able to bring you the joy we all hoped for, but I want you to know that there was never a lack of dedication, commitment, or love for this jersey. I gave everything I had on the pitch, and I would do it a thousand times over for my country.”

England secured qualification for the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup with a controversial 2-1 victory against Erling Haaland’s Norway.

Thomas Tuchel’s side progress to the next round after another Jude Bellingham brace, with the winning goal coming in extra time. The Real Madrid midfielder had equalised with a left-footed drive in the first-half after the Three Lions fell behind early.

But there has been a lot made about that equaliser. Norway will feel hard done by after claims emerged that the goal could’ve been ruled out. That’s because many believe the ball collided with a spidercam in the build-up, which would mean anything that happened after would be considered irrelevant.

FIFA Explained Why England’s Goal Stood

Omar Aziz via Reuters

Despite many viewers and the Norway goalkeeper being adamant that there was contact between the ball and the camera, the referee and VAR didn’t get involved at all.

That’s because, according to FIFA, the sensor inside the football didn’t detect any contact. A statement released by the governing body said:

Norway’s Manager Reveals Conversation With Referee

Dylan Martinez via Reuters

Several members of Norway’s playing and coaching staff immediately appealed to the referee, Clement Turpin. However, manager Stale Solbakken admitted he was not one of them.

Speaking after the defeat, Solbakken revealed the conversation he had with Turpin following the half-time whistle, as they could be seen in discussion on the pitch. He told reporters (per The Guardian):

So, despite the referee simply not seeing the alleged incident, he also wasn’t alerted that it may have been a possibility. However, the Norwegian boss conceded he didn’t have a leg to stand on as FIFA are claiming there was no touch of the camera.

Maintaining the fact he believes the wrong decision was reached, he added: “I can sit here and cry but I don’t want to do that. We have done everything we could – the players have been phenomenal throughout the tournament. OK it was bizarre but it’s part of football and why it is the best sport in the world because things like that can happen. We have to accept it.

“It was unlucky for us. The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it takes this direction. It became a misunderstanding among our players, and it was a bad moment for us. We can’t do anything about that.”