Jamie Carragher
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher(Image: James Gill - Danehouse)
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Jamie Carragher has described Chelsea target Alex Scott as a "wonderful player" and wonders whether Liverpool might eventually make a move for the Bournemouth midfielder.
The Blues had a £64million offer rejected by the Cherries in July for Scott, who turned down the chance to extend his contract at the Vitality Stadium. Sources told football.london at the time that Chelsea were one of multiple clubs from the Premier League's so-called 'big six' that registered an interest in the 23-year-old midfielder.
Bournemouth told Chelsea that Scott was not for sale at any price in the summer transfer window. The Blues tried their luck once again towards the end of last month but the Cherries' stubborn stance did not change.
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Liverpool are now managed by former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who was in charge down on the south coast when the Cherries signed Scott from Bristol City in a deal believed to be worth around £25m.
Scott impressed for Bournemouth in their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, with Iraola recording a winning return to the Vitality. During Sky Sports' coverage of the match, Carragher, formerly of the Reds, spoke about how his old club being interested in Scott would make sense.
Carragher said: "I think he's a wonderful player. There was a lot of interest in him in the summer and because Liverpool have a former Bournemouth manager, you almost think: will there be a link or will there be a couple of players moving that way?
"I thought Rayan was fantastic last season as well. It will have been really good for him to get a goal in midweek because he probably hasn't been himself at the start of the season. There are some fantastic players here at Bournemouth."
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott
Chelsea remain very interested in Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott(Image: Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth)
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Chelsea retain an interest in Scott after the Blues missed out on signing a central midfielder following Enzo Fernandez's departure on deadline day. The west Londoners were unsuccessful - through no fault of their own - in their late pursuit of AS Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will rekindle their interest in Camara once the January transfer window comes around, or whether they will move for Scott. Either way, Bournemouth will be reluctant to lose Scott in the middle of a season and may be more willing to sell next summer.
Xabi Alonso has been left rather light in the midfield department until January at the very earliest. At the time of writing, Alonso has Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson to choose from in the centre of midfield.
However, James and Gusto are natural full-backs, and Caicedo has only featured once this season due to a calf injury. Henderson gave Alonso a boost on Friday night, with the 36-year-old making his debut for the club following his free transfer over the summer, while Barco also made his first Premier League start for the Blues.