Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso was dealt a blow earlier this week when it was revealed that the club will not be signing central midfielder Granit Xhaka.
The Spaniard won the Bundesliga title with the experienced star in his Bayer Leverkusen team, and was hoping to bring him over to London in the summer transfer window.
An offer of £8m from the Blues was turned down by the Black Cats, who felt that it was an insulting bid, and there has now been a final decision from the player.
The Switzerland international has opted to turn down the opportunity to reunite with his former boss, instead deciding to remain at the Stadium of Light to captain them into the Europa League next season.
After captaining Sunderland to a seventh-place finish in their first season back in the Premier League, his loyalty to the club is commendable and understandable.
Chelsea expected to make move for Premier League midfielder
As much as Chelsea may respect Xhaka’s decision to remain on Wearside, the Swiss star’s rejection means that they will have to look elsewhere for a new midfielder.
They are already been linked with interest in another star from the Premier League who would arrive as an even better option for Alonso in the middle of the park.
According to talkSPORT, Chelsea are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Bournemouth central midfielder Alex Scott in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United are also looking at the England international as a possible signing ahead of next season.
However, it adds that the Cherries do not want to cash in on the former Bristol City man and, instead, would like him to put pen to paper on an extension.
TalkSPORT reveals that Chelsea are expected to ramp up their interest in the English talent after Xhaka decided to stay at Sunderland, but it remains to be seen whether or not Bournemouth can be convinced to sell him.
Why Alex Scott would be better than Granit Xhaka
Xhaka would have arrived as a player who already knows Alonso’s way of working and could have hit the ground running as a key player for the Spaniard.
However, Scott, who has been valued at £80m, is already a proven Premier League star who also has the potential to make an instant impact, as he would not be coming from another division and having to adapt to the country or league.
In fact, the 22-year-old star’s performances for Bournemouth in the Premier League in the 2025/26 campaign suggest that he would be an even better option in midfield for Chelsea than Xhaka.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Xhaka |
Scott |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
34 |
37 |
|
Goals |
1 |
3 |
|
xA |
3.71 |
2.95 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.4 |
2.6 |
|
Duels won per game |
4.5 |
5.0 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.3 |
0.8 |
|
Possession lost per game |
12.6 |
10.4 |
The Englishman offered more to his side than Xhaka did to Sunderland in most aspects of the game, aside from creativity, as he provided more defensive interventions and more goals from the middle of the park.
An average of 0.5 more dribbles per game also speaks to the superior mobility that Scott boasts in a midfield position, as he is far more capable of getting across the ground with or without the ball at his feet than the Switzerland international.
Despite only being 22, Scott has already been described as a “complete” midfielder by U23 scout Antonio Mango, which is backed up by his contributions both on and off the ball in the Premier League last season.
An issue with recruiting young players is that they can sometimes be inconsistent and fluctuate in their performance levels, hence why Chelsea wanted a more experienced star such as Xhaka, but Scott bucks the trend.
His former manager, Andoni Iraola, spoke of his impressive consistency at the end of last season, and that is backed up by how impressive his statistics were in comparison to Xhaka’s.
At the age of 22, Scott is 11 years younger than the Sunderland star and would provide far more long-term value to Chelsea and Alonso, as he could be their starting midfielder for the next decade if he wants.
That is why the Blues must now go all out to secure his services ahead of their rivals now that they know that Xhaka will be staying at Sunderland this summer, as he can make Alonso forget all about his former star.
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