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Chelsea had plenty of time to watch Tottenham play on Saturday, and getting the ball back was the difficult part.
The Blues lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Mike Penders' own goal and Mathys Tel's late strike settling a derby that offered Xabi Alonso precious little comfort.
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Cole Palmer's red card made a bad evening worse, with Spurs' control of possession highlighting an area Chelsea are already looking to address in January.
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|Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham|
|Total|Tottenham|Chelsea|
|---|
|Possession|68.9%|31.1%|
|Expected goals (xG)|0.74|0.47|
|Total shots|15|7|
|Shots on target|4|4|
|Shots blocked|7|2|
|Big chances missed|1|1|
|Corners|6|4|
|Accurate passes|569|215|
|Passing accuracy|87%|74.7%|
|Goalkeeper saves|4|3|
|Fouls committed|14|14|
|Yellow cards|3|2|
|Red cards|0|1|
Replacing Enzo Fernández remains a talking point after his summer move to Man City, and Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott continues to feature prominently in reports about Chelsea's plans.
There are defensive links, too, with some suggestions that Chelsea are considering bringing Fikayo Tomori back from AC Milan as they weigh up adding experience to their back line.
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Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
However, Scott is the name at the centre of journalist Simon Phillips' update, with the journalist claiming Chelsea have made significant progress on the player's contract.
Alex Scott verbally agrees Chelsea terms as Phillips reveals Alonso’s role
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Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Phillips says Scott has verbally accepted the proposed terms, with much of that work completed during the summer.
Alonso's involvement is another part of the story.
According to Phillips, Chelsea's manager spoke directly to Scott and persuaded him that Stamford Bridge should be his next destination. That would give Chelsea encouragement as they try to put a deal together, although any agreement with Bournemouth remains outstanding.
Phillips also believes a package could start with a £90 million guaranteed fee.
“Chelsea are looking to agree a fee with Bournemouth, believed to be about £90-£100million. I think we might see a £90m base fee,” said Phillips.
“Everything on the player side is provisionally done or verbally done because Chelsea did all that in the summer. Alonso spoke to Scott himself and convinced him to come to Chelsea.
“It’s not done yet. It’s important to say it’s not done yet because other clubs are interested.
“Scott could easily change his mind, Chelsea have not agreed a fee with Bournemouth yet, so, it’s not done yet. Important to say that. Unfortunately, I always have to make sure I state that.
“But yeah, the terms are there on the table. Scott’s just got to sign the terms. He has agreed to them verbally.
“They fit within Chelsea’s wage structure. He will get a nice bonus for Champions League qualification this season, which most of the players are on actually.
“So, all of that side is good, all of that side is ready to go, and it’s just a case of Chelsea agreeing a fee with Bournemouth. But again, as I keep saying, it’s got that feel of inevitability about it.
“Scott has spoken with a number of the Chelsea players that are there already, so there’s already that, you know, setting up for him to become a Chelsea player in January.”
The reported verbal agreement gives Chelsea something strong to build on, particularly if Alonso has already won Scott over personally.
It would leave negotiations with Bournemouth as the central task.
For Alonso, securing a midfielder he has personally helped persuade would represent a significant piece of January business.
Supporters will now want the club to turn that reported progress into an agreement Bournemouth will accept.
Until then, Phillips' optimism remains a promising update on a transfer still being negotiated, and clubs like Liverpool can still turn the tide in the race for Scott.
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