Jamie Carragher has heaped praise on Alex Scott and believes Andoni Iraola could use his links with Bournemouth to sign the highly rated midfielder.
Scott completed a move from Bristol City to Bournemouth 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 23-year-old received his first senior England call-up last November and was perhaps unfortunate to miss out on a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.
Throughout the summer transfer window, Scott’s future was the subject of intense speculation in the media, with the Premier League’s elite closely monitoring his progress for some time.
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Chelsea have been credited with a strong interest in Scott for some time and there has also been speculation that the former England Under-21 international could follow Iraola to Merseyside.
However, the transfer deadline came and went and Scott stayed put at the Vitality Stadium. He will now be intent on seeing out another successful campaign with the Cherries.
This afternoon, Scott has an opportunity to impress in front of one of those teams linked, with Bournemouth welcoming their former boss Iraola back to south coast for what promises to be an intriguing top-flight encounter.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the clash, ex-Liverpool defender Carragher said of Scott: ‘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?
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‘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.’
Scott played his first match in Europe in midweek as Bournemouth kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 2-1 victory away to Real Sociedad
‘I think we did well in the end, secured the win, and yeah, I’m sure the fans are really happy,’ Scott told the BBC after Bournemouth’s win, in which he provided the assist for Rayan’s decisive 20th-minute effort.
‘It’s enjoyable. It’s still like that in the Premier League when I get to play that every week. You still get that buzz and that feeling.
‘A new competition for me and for the club and a lot of the lads in there. We’re grateful to be here. We really want to push and do something special in this competition.
‘Yesterday, I said to Rayan, “If I get the ball in that area and look up, just run back post and I’ll find you, like Everton last season”.
‘It was so weird how I said that to him yesterday and it literally happened as I said it. It was one of those things where, yeah, a good ball and a good header.
‘I know he’s making that run all the time and he’s unbelievable in the air. So a great goal from us and it was good to get a 2-0 lead.’
Just 24 hours after Bournemouth defeated Sociedad, Scott was named in Tuchel’s squad for England’s upcoming Nations League games against Spain, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
‘Alex Scott is a fantastic football player, a fantastic character, so humble,’ Tuchel told reporters when asked about his decision to call up Scott.
‘I think he is one of the best midfielders at the moment in the Premier League. He deserves to be with us and for his qualities.’
Scott has two years remaining on his current contract with Bournemouth.
Reports in the summer indicated it would likely require an offer in excess of £80million to prise the midfielder away from the Vitality Stadium.
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