AFC Bournemouth v Everton - Premier League 2026/27
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Alex Scott remains the priority for Chelsea ahead of the January window, but the Blues are not foolish enough to put all their eggs in one basket. Other midfielders are now being linked.
Interestingly, Scott is open to joining Chelsea and the Blues have money to spend after cashing in on Enzo Fernandez. They will need to spend to replace the calibre of Fernandez, with Scott valued at £100m.
The Bournemouth midfielder is currently injured, but will be fit again by the time the January window opens. But Scott is not the only midfielder on Chelsea’s radar, if the latest reports are to be believed.
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Chelsea are considering Newcastle and Everton midfielders
Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha is supposedly an option, while Arsenal ace Myles Lewis-Skelly was considered in the summer and continues to be a name mentioned with a possible move to Chelsea.
But according to a report from Blues reporter Simon Phillips, Chelsea are also keeping tabs on Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong, as well as Newcastle United talent Lewis Miley ahead of January.
“Harrison Armstrong of Everton is another youngster that Chelsea are watching. 19 years old, central midfielder, playing quite a bit for Everton this season so far. And then Lewis Miley from Newcastle.
“Another England Under-21 international, plays in midfield, 6ft 2in tall. At the moment, they are players that Chelsea are scouting this season and running regular reports on, weekly reports,” Phillips says.
Pursuit to replace Fernandez: Armstrong, Miley or Scott?
Chelsea’s midfield aim is to replace Fernandez, but doing it in a way that suits Xabi Alonso’s system. It is quite clear that Chelsea are not going to sign a midfielder as attacking as the 2022 World Cup winner.
They need a midfielder that can create from deep, but one that is happy to sit alongside Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. There is also a question mark as to whether Chelsea actually need a new midfielder.
The figures below show what Chelsea have lost with Fernandez’s departure, and how their three potential replacements compare with the qualities he brought to the midfield during his years at Stamford Bridge.
Statistic per 90 Enzo Fernández Alex Scott Lewis Miley Harrison Armstrong
Minutes played 547 446 548 609
Goals 0.16 0.20 0.00 0.00
Assists 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.15
Key passes 1.81 2.22 1.15 0.89
Passes attempted 66.06 50.45 54.53 35.91
Pass accuracy 88.3% 81.6% 86.7% 87.2%
Tackles 0.66 1.81 1.48 1.92
Interceptions 0.99 1.61 0.99 0.74
Duels won 3.78 6.66 3.61 4.43
Duel success 42.6% 58.9% 55.0% 46.2%
Successful dribbles 0.33 0.81 0.49 0.74
Jordan Henderson and Romeo Lavia have performed admirably this season, as Caicedo’s partner. But the stats show that Scott is by far and away the best midfielder, even outperforming Fernandez pre-injury.
He wins more duels, more tackles, makes more interceptions, dribbles better than Armstrong, Miley and Fernandez, and has scored, whereas the other three have not scored a league goal. Scott is the smart pick.