Alex Scott celebrates
Chelsea want to sign Alex Scott from Bournemouth(Image: Mark Leech/Offside)
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Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes Alex Scott looks like the 'real deal' but there are still 'question marks' over whether the Blues should make a move for the midfielder in January.
Chelsea failed with a £64million offer for Scott in the summer transfer window with Bournemouth insisting the midfielder was not for sale. The Cherries' stubborn stance was carried throughout the summer and he will remain at the Vitality Stadium until at least January.
Scott has less than two years remaining on his contract on the south coast but Bournemouth want the England international to extend his deal. Chelsea, meanwhile, retain a strong interest in Scott and are considering re-entering the market to try and sign him when the January transfer window is here.
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Bournemouth, though, are expected to carry out a similar not-for-sale stance in the new year.
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Scott has been excellent since signing for Bournemouth in the summer of 2023 and is attracting interest from not just Chelsea, but the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool also. Johnson, formerly of the Blues, has been mightily impressed with Scott's performances of late but has warned his old club that he might not be the solution to their midfield problems.
Speaking exclusively to football.londonon behalf of Live Football Tickets, Johnson said: "Yeah, when I've seen him play, he looks likely to be the real deal.
Alex Scott
Chelsea remain interested in England international Alex Scott(Image: Marko Perkov/AFP)
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"Obviously, there's still a lot of question marks. You know, we've seen loads and loads of players have a flash in the pan and then fall away, which I hope isn't the case for him.
"But there's definitely a lot more to prove and a lot more to show than saying, 'he's our man, go get him already'."
Johnson and Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso's paths crossed ever so briefly during their playing days. Liverpool signed Johnson from Portsmouth in June 2009, while Alonso decided to switch Merseyside for Real Madrid less than two months later.
The two would have trained together for a brief period of time during pre-season and even from that short experience, Johnson said it was obvious Alonso would one day take up some form of coaching role.
Johnson said: "No, it's not a shock at all [that Alonso is managing], to be honest. He was always one of those guys that had that sort of extra level characteristic where you could tell that he would study football, watching every single game and wanting to do everything right.
"Even if we're doing a small, tiny passing drill, he wanted to do it correctly. A lot of the pros are like that, but the ones that want to be coaches seem to see the game that way.
"I'm not surprised he's a coach, and obviously it's great to see him at Chelsea doing so well. Even the other jobs he's had, he's done great. So fingers crossed, he can carry that on at Chelsea."
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso has had a mixed start to life as Chelsea manager(Image: May James - AFP)
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After winning their opening two Premier League matches of the season, Chelsea have been brought back down to earth in their last three outings. Alonso's side did not win a league game in September, drawing with Hull City, and losing to the likes of Arsenal and Brentford before the international break.
After the opening five fixtures of the campaign, Chelsea sit down in 10th place but that needs to improve drastically, according to Johnson, who thinks it is a necessity for the Blues to be competing for the Champions League places again.
"I think they at least have to be competing for the Champions League," said the ex-Chelsea right-back. "I think if they got offered that, they'd bite your arm off now. But I think if they just miss out on it, it'll still be a big step forward.
"But I think the fans would definitely want to see them knocking on the door and competing with the big guns again."
When asked if Alonso needs time to build a project similarly to what Mikel Arteta has done with Premier League champions Arsenal, Johnson said: "Everyone needs to do what Arteta has done, right? Because it worked very well.
"They need this year for building and possibly even next season. But if this season goes well, I can't rule them out for a title and title race next year. They just need to keep progressing."
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