As Arsenal prepare to defend their Premier League title, there is a recognition that they cannot try the same tricks and expect the same results.
This summer is about moving further into uncharted waters, and while most of that focus will land on attacking signings, other positions remain important. Aside from a number of left wingers and No 10s, Arsenal do admire central midfielders Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott.
As reported in The Athletic’s Transfer DealSheet on Tuesday, any deal for Tonali may be prohibitively expensive due to his contract running until 2029 with the option of a further year. With that in mind, let us take a look at Scott and see where the appeal is (beyond his name sparking memories of the Arsenal women’s legend).
Scott, 22, had an unorthodox journey into professional football but has been one of England’s hottest prospects for some time.
Born in Guernsey, he made his senior debut with the Channel island’s non-league team (also called Guernsey) aged 16 in 2019 despite spending time with Southampton and Bournemouth’s academies. Having signed a pre-contract agreement with Bristol City the same year, his first full season in professional football was in the Championship in the 2021-22 season.
His second season with Bristol City sparked interest from England’s top clubs and Football Manager players alike as he won the Championship’s Young Player of the Season award and earned a place in the Team of the Season, while becoming Football Manager’s most popular player for that season’s game.
At this time, it was Scott’s close control and willingness to drive through midfield with the ball that excited observers. Below are a few examples of a teenage Scott displaying strong spatial awareness and technique to evade opposition midfielders in the Championship, including a cameo from Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton (then playing for Blackburn Rovers).
Used in deeper midfield areas by Andoni Iraola in their three seasons together at Bournemouth, Scott still had the licence to express himself.
In terms of progression, 21 per cent of the carries he makes are progressive (i.e. at least five metres towards the opposition goal). That was the fourth highest of any defensive midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues last season, which is represented in his ‘carry progression’ rating on his season-level dashboard below.
There is more to unpack with Scott’s playing style, but for an early example of what that type of ball-carrying looked like in the Premier League, below is an assist from his first season at Bournemouth.
He initially let the ball run across his body, threw in a step-over before driving between two Fulham players to make the edge of their penalty area and laid the ball across to Justin Kluivert, who was left in space with the Fulham defenders converging on Scott.
Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly have both shown how useful ball-carriers from midfield areas can be for Arsenal. With that in mind, it is not a surprise that has been a key attribute for multiple targets across different positions, from Scott in midfield, to Morgan Rogers and Bradley Barcola out wide.
A knee injury suffered in August 2023 saw Scott available for just three of Bournemouth’s first 16 league matches of that season. The following year, a torn meniscus kept him out for 20 matches between October 2024 and February 2025.
Having played 38 and 42 league matches as a teenager with Bristol City, Scott’s availability returned to the norm in the 2025-26 season. He featured in 37 league matches for Bournemouth, starting 34, and only missed the final-day draw with Nottingham Forest through illness.
With his previous season truncated, the 22-year-old admitted that the triumphant Under-21s European Championship campaign with England last summer played a crucial role.
“I came back to pre-season a lot fitter having that tournament and started very strongly in the Premier League,” he told England Football. “To take what we did in the summer into this season, playing with the confidence and freedom like we did in the Euros, that’s what I’ve done.”
Scott played a key role in that U21 tournament, starting five of England’s six matches en route to lifting the trophy, sporting protection on his face due to a fractured jaw suffered by a stray Tyrone Mings elbow that May. Under Lee Carsley, he was used as one of the deepest midfielders alongside Elliot Anderson, which showcased different sides of his game. Anderson was more of a playmaker, while Scott held his position to protect the England backline, providing a glimpse of the front-foot defending that is evident on his season dashboard.
Below are some examples of interceptions and full-blooded blocks during the tournament.
He replicated that below against Rice at the Emirates before ghosting through Arsenal’s midfield to score Bournemouth’s winner in April.
The timing of Scott’s run and the calmness in his finish may be what Arsenal supporters remember from that day, but in his post-match press conference, Iraola said: “He has played for us as a No 10, a No 8; today as a No 6 and he has added a lot of defensive work and a lot of duel-winning to the ability he has on the ball.
“I’m very happy because he is becoming a very, very complete player.”
That all-round ability was on show again the following week when Bournemouth beat Newcastle United 2-1 to make their late push for Europe feel realistic. Late in the first half, Scott stepped forward to win a loose ball but did not stop there. His run beyond Eli Junior Kroupi demanded a pass, which came. He then flashed the ball across the six-yard box but Evanilson shot wide.
Scott claimed one assist last season from an expected assists tally of 2.95. While he is not an assist machine, Arsenal may like that five of the 12 assists that Scott has made in the last four years have come from corners. In terms of delivery, he favours deep crosses to the back post which has proved beneficial at Bristol City, Bournemouth and the England Under-21s.
It should also be noted that while averaging 12.2 defensive contributions per game in the Premier League last season, Scott was yellow carded just five times.
For all of this, Arsenal supporters may wonder whether Scott, or any central midfielder, is a must in this transfer window given their existing options. Rice and Martin Zubimendi were the clear first-choice pairing in deeper areas, playing a higher share of minutes than any other outfield players at the club. Rice’s 4,454 minutes in all competitions represented 78.1 per cent of Arsenal’s total minutes, while Zubimendi’s 4,292 minutes was a 75.3 per cent share.
Below is a table showing how many minutes and matches Arsenal players were used exclusively centrally, whether as a No 6, 8 or 10, as all these players apart from Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard had stints in other areas of the pitch.
Arsenal mins in central midfield 2025-26
Injuries to Odegaard and Mikel Merino hindered their availability during the season, while Lewis-Skelly’s 461 minutes in midfield all came in May. This trio alone could raise the question of whether another midfielder is necessary. They may not seem so when looking at names on a screen, but injuries have bitten deep at Arsenal in recent seasons.
Rice and Zubimendi cannot be expected to plug in and play non-stop, especially after participating in this World Cup for England and Spain. Arsenal being open to offers for Christian Norgaard, whose only Premier League start came against Crystal Palace on the final day, also represents a recognition that the options behind the primary pair need strengthening.
It is not easy to predict how midfield minutes will be balanced compared to last season but Arteta has reinforced in positions it was not deemed necessary to in the past and been proven right. The prime example of David Raya replacing Aaron Ramsdale in goal also carried much higher stakes than adding another quality option to an already well-functioning midfield.
As things stand, Arsenal just admire Scott, but it would be understandable if they decide to pursue him.
They already have a young, multi-faceted English midfielder in Lewis-Skelly, but in Scott they could have another that is different and has enough quality to entrust both to take away some of the burden felt by Rice and Zubimendi last season while taking his already accomplished game to new levels like Rice has done.
