By OkayGoal
Chelsea have reportedly made Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott their main target for January, but Gus Poyet wants his old club to sort out their own midfield before they spend a penny.
The Blues tried and failed to prise the England international away from the Vitality Stadium in the summer, and reports suggest they are now “completely focused” on getting a deal done over the winter. They aren’t alone, either. Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United haven’t given up on winning the race.
Poyet likes the player. Asked whether Scott could fill Enzo Fernandez’s boots at Stamford Bridge, the former Chelsea midfielder gave the move his seal of approval, but with one big condition attached.
What does Poyet want Chelsea to do first?
For Poyet, the Scott question comes second. “I like the player. I have seen him a lot and I think he is a very good player. Chelsea need to first decide on the players at the club first, before looking to sign anyone else,” he said.
He added: “They have to decide what the future is as they have Caicedo, Lavia, James and others in the centre of midfield, so they must identify who will be the main starters and then move forward on whether Scott is the player they want and then who will then move on.”
Why is Alex Scott worth the chase?
Scott spent one season in the Bournemouth academy between 2016 and 2017, made his name at Bristol City, and was brought back by the Cherries in 2023 for £19.2m. Since then he has scored seven goals and set up seven more for Bournemouth across all competitions, and he won his first two senior England caps during the September/October international break.
There’s a fitness worry, though. Scott aggravated a hamstring injury on his first England start, against Croatia, and it remains to be seen whether Thomas Tuchel picks him for the November squad, which is named on Friday.
Bournemouth aren’t waving him off yet. Owner Bill Foley has insisted the club still hope to tie Scott to a new deal beyond 2028, while admitting that young players can sometimes get “stars in their eyes”. The Cherries are already working on a Colombia winger from Vasco da Gama for January, and losing their midfield engine at the same time would be a very different kind of window.
Who would Scott be up against at Chelsea?
Xabi Alonso has five recognised central midfielders: Moises Caicedo, Valentin Barco, Jordan Henderson, Romeo Lavia and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli. Reece James and Malo Gusto can fill in there when needed.
One too young, one running out of time
Nicoll-Jazuli is only 16, so he’s likely to spend the next two or three years with the youth team or out on loan, whatever happens with Scott. Henderson is 20 years his senior and only under contract until 2028, when he’ll be 38. It’s hard to see him sticking around for more than another 24 months.
The long-term core
Barco and Caicedo are tied down until 2033, while Lavia, whose time at the club has been wrecked by injuries, is signed until 2030. Lavia has shown signs of a revival alongside Caicedo in recent weeks, and we had the pair in the middle with Henderson when we picked Chelsea’s lineup to face Manchester United.
If Scott arrived in January, the 23-year-old would go straight into a battle with Lavia for the place next to Caicedo, with Barco and Henderson as the young and experienced back-up.
Verdict: Alex Scott to Chelsea only works if someone goes
Poyet has a point. Chelsea don’t have a shortage of bodies in midfield; what they have is a squad where the oldest option is fading, the youngest is years away and one of the two long-term starters keeps getting hurt. Scott would fix the Lavia problem, but only if Alonso is honest about who drops down the pecking order.
And Bournemouth hold the cards. With three other giants circling and Foley still talking about a new contract, January will be expensive. Chelsea should decide on their midfield first, then go all in for Scott, because a half-hearted bid in this race won’t get anywhere near the Vitality.