Why £55m Premier League star would be a better signing for Chelsea than Scott

Arsenal must be scratching their heads. How have Chelsea swept in and taken the Premier League champions’ top summer target from under their noses?

After all, Chelsea finished tenth last season – beneath the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton and Sunderland – and thus have no European football to look forward to at the start of the Xabi Alonso era.

But this is the perfect representation of the size and scale of this club, who may have fallen to the canvas last season, but they have now picked themselves back up – like they always do.

Chelsea’s appetite is insatiable, and Alonso needs more substance in the middle of the park to lift his project up off the ground. Maybe it would be worth keeping an eye on the developing Alex Scott situation.

How Alex Scott could shape Alonso’s Chelsea

Chelsea have seen a £64m bid for Bournemouth midfielder Scott knocked back. The 22-year-old has emerged as a top target for the Stamford Bridge side this summer, and it’s clear to see why.

Scott joined the Cherries from Bristol City in 2019. He was 19. It’s been a steady road to the top over the past three years, but he’s getting there, and a transfer to Chelsea this summer would underscore his growth.

Technically, he is really clean, and his understanding of the passing game allows him to set the tempo and control the flow. If football were a language, Scott would articulate himself clearly, saying all the right things.

“He’s got everything that a midfielder should have playing in the Premier League,” Micah Richards said on Match of the Day in May, and Alonso continues to show his first-class talent ID with this concerted push.

Bournemouth don’t want to sell, but Chelsea can be persistent shoppers, and they are also hoping to make further additions, with Alonso primed to raid a London rival in the coming weeks.

Chelsea in talks to complete a better signing than Scott

Chelsea are doing all the right things in the transfer market this summer. This doesn’t look like an outfit who are content with having slid into mid-table, and while Scott and Rogers could prove statement signings indeed, Alonso needs to fix his side’s backline – sharpish.

Chelsea have been linked with a sensational move for free agent John Stones in recent days; the veteran Three Lions star’s contract with Manchester City expired last month. However, Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix would be a far better buy.

According to journalist Bobby Vincent, talks are ongoing with the Eagles as Chelsea look to close a deal for the France defender, who is valued at £55m and also being pursued by Arsenal. The reporter asserts that BlueCo are confident they will close the deal.

Lacroix has been called an “elite defender” by journalist Tobias Kröger in the past, with his aggressive approach to defending partnering up with a crisp and almost elegant passing range. In this, he could prove an instrumental signing for a Chelsea side who need an instant lift.

Look, for example, how much stronger a campaign Lacroix had than Stones in the Premier League last season.

Scott may be skyrocketing at Bournemouth, but his outfit are adamant that they don’t want to sell, and the cost of a deal could become extortionate.

Stones, of course, would join Alonso’s squad on a free, but given that he played so little football last year, it could be argued that signing the 26-year-old Lacroix makes much more sense.

Scott and Lacroix both have a wealth of Premier League experience, but Lacroix is on a higher level right now, and if Chelsea manage to keep onto Enzo Fernandez for the remainder of the transfer window, there’s no question that the Palace defender would be the far smarter signing.

Chelsea are not pulling any punches this summer. Hopefully, Alonso welcomes both top targets to west London, but Lacroix’s signature must be prioritised for the fluency of the team.