The signing and subsequent sale of Morgan Rogers remains one of Middlesbrough’s finest pieces of business in recent memory, and they hoped they’d emulate it with another Manchester City deal.
This summer, change is in the air on Teesside, and with it comes the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and make new beginnings. Indeed, Rob Edwards has been tasked with returning Middlesbrough to genuine Premier League promotion contention in 2025/26, following two seasons of missing out on the Championship play-off party under Michael Carrick, which prompted Boro chairman Steve Gibson to fire the England and Manchester United legend.
However, it is evident that in order to do so, the former Luton Town manager will need to stamp his influence on the playing group this summer, and with a slew of new recruits likely, some major decisions must be made about the futures of a number of periphery players.
Middlesbrough hit the jackpot with Morgan Rogers deal
Boro recruited then-20-year-old Rogers from City in the summer of 2023, for a fee believed to be as low as £1 million. In reality, he wasn’t the only home run signing the Teessiders made that summer; Emmanuel Latte Lath and Rav van den Berg also moved to the Riverside. Returning to Rogers, the transfer appeared to be fraught with risk, since despite his Manchester City and England youth international background, the teenage winger had yet to play a competitive first-team game for the Cityzens.
He has experience in Championship football through loan periods with Bournemouth and Blackpool, neither of which produced many goals, as well as a successful time in League One with Lincoln City. However, he arrived on Teesside still needing to show himself at the second tier level, and he accomplished exactly that.
Rogers’ 23/24 Middlesbrough stats – per FotMob
Competition
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Championship
26
2
6
FA Cup
1
0
0
EFL Cup
6
5
Despite starting only 14 of Boro’s 26 Championship games in 2023/24, he still managed to score two goals and six assists in the first half of the season. He also scored five goals and provided two assists in the Carabao Cup, helping Middlesbrough reach the semi-finals that year before losing to Chelsea over two legs despite beating them 1-0 at the Riverside in the first round.
Rogers demonstrated his obvious top-class potential on multiple occasions in a red and white shirt, with his robust ball-carrying and dribbling, mixed with exceptional technical skill, resulting in some superb goals and individual brilliance. His accomplishments had not gone unnoticed, and a dream return to the Premier League with Aston Villa became available in the January 2024 transfer window. Only six months after Rogers signed his contract with Middlesbrough, the Villains would sign him for much to £16 million.
Boro might possibly be bankrolled again in the future thanks to him, as the club included a 20% sell-on clause in the transaction that brought him to Villa Park.
Micah Hamilton deal hasn’t brought same success – Rob Edwards now has big Boro call to make on him
Middlesbrough came to Manchester City the next summer with their wallets open, clearly emboldened by Rogers’ masterstroke. Boro signed another wideman from the Premier League champions, Micah Hamilton, who has a very similar profile to Rogers’.
Hamilton, who was 20 at the time of his Teesside arrival, was purchased for a cost believed to be over £2 million, and the former England youth international, like Rogers, signed a four-year contract at the Riverside. “Micah is an exciting young player who we’re looking forward to working with,” Carrick remarked about his new signing at the time. “He’s already been in and around the senior side at Man City – he’s got that experience from playing in the Champions League – and he is another great addition to the squad.”
Indeed, the youngster scored for Pep Guardiola’s side on his senior Champions League debut in the 23/24 season, demonstrating his talent and potential. As such, excitement levels among Middlesbrough fans were understandably very high over his capture, and comparisons were immediately and inevitably being made to Rogers’ success with the club. However, his debut campaign as a Boro player was highly underwhelming to say the least. After making 16 first-team appearances in the first half of the 24/25 season, Hamilton had failed to produce a single goal or assist in red and white.
When January arrived, it was decided to send him out on loan to League One side Stockport County for the rest of the season, but he’d struggle to make an impact at Edgeley Park as well.
With no goals or assists in just five games for County, he returns to Teesside this summer firmly on the outskirts of Boro’s squad, and with Edwards looking to deploy a system that does not cater to wingers, his place and purpose under him does not appear immediately evident. As a result, with Edwards signing a three-year contract to become Middlesbrough’s next head coach, the club is clearly backing him to lead them into the future, which might be terrible news for Hamilton as it correlates to his prospects of authoring his own Morgan Rogers-esque success story at Boro. He appears to be a prime contender for another loan, or possibly a permanent move away from the club, already this summer.
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