Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso (Picture: Getty)
Glen Johnson believes Alex Scott could be the ‘real deal’ but warned Chelsea about moving too quickly to sign the talented England midfielder.
Scott arrived at Bournemouth from Bristol City back in 2023 and has gone on to establish himself as one of the most sought-after central midfielders in the Premier League over the last three years.
The Guernsey-born 23-year-old narrowly missed out on Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup, but made his England debut against Czechia in Prague last week.
Scott was the subject of intense speculation over the summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea both seeing approaches for the midfielder rejected by Bournemouth.
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The Cherries maintain that they will not entertain any bids for Scott in January, and have slapped an £80million valuation on the young midfielder, who Liverpool are also said to be keeping tabs on.
But former Blues defender Johnson believes Chelsea shouldn’t be itching to sign Scott, and should instead let him develop further before trying to lure him to Stamford Bridge.
‘When I’ve seen him play, he looks likely to be the real deal,’ Johnson told football.london.
Alex Scott impressed for England against Czechia and Croatia (Picture: Getty)
‘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.
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‘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’.’
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 05: Enzo Fernandez of Manchester City ahead of the game during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Manchester City and Coventry City at Etihad Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 05: Enzo Fernandez of Manchester City ahead of the game during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Manchester City and Coventry City at Etihad Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
But while Johnson believes Chelsea shouldn’t be in a rush to sign Scott, former Blues midfielder Gus Poyet is clear that the club’s current options in the middle of the park are a real problem for Xabi Alonso.
‘The biggest problem of Chelsea is their two central midfielders.’ Poyet told Metro via betting sites.
[LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 6: Thomas Tuchel, Manager / Head Coach of England reacts during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between England and Czechia at Wembley Stadium on October 6, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 6: Thomas Tuchel, Manager / Head Coach of England reacts during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between England and Czechia at Wembley Stadium on October 6, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)](https://metro.co.uk/2026/10/06/chelsea-star-admits-tuchel-didnt-seem-happy-england-win-29686480/)
‘When you start the season thinking that you’re too holding midfielders ar going to be £100m Caicedo and £100m Enzo Fernandez, and then all of a sudden one is injured and the other one is gone, then you have a problem.
‘And I think that those two central midfielder positions is the balance between the team attacking well and defending well, and it’s been struggling there.
‘It’s been Reece James who’s been playing there, Lavia and Barco who’s been playing there, but you don’t have those two proper Keane or Vieira type.
‘So there is a situation that you need that kind of unity, and Chelsea without those main key players has been very difficult.’
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