The Daily Mail highlights that AFC Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, with his excellent all-round qualities combined with his passing, dribbling, and tireless performances on the pitch, has attracted interest from Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur this summer, with the player valued at around £80 million.

Ian Foster, who previously coached Scott in England's U19 and U20 youth teams, told Daily Mail Sport: "Off the pitch, he's a rough diamond with excellent character. Everyone in the team wants to be around him. This boy is truly rare, and the outside world still underestimates him."

When a reporter relayed these comments to Brian Tinnion, he smiled knowingly. Back then, as Bristol City's technical director, he had signed Scott from Guernsey FC in the Isthmian League, bringing him to Ashton Gate.

"His greatest asset is his attitude," Tinnion explained. "He always gives everything in matches and training. From the moment he joined the club until we sold him to AFC Bournemouth, he never caused a single problem. He's every academy manager's dream young player."

However, excellent all-round qualities aren't a cure-all. Several genuine obstacles early in his career nearly ended Scott's footballing journey. As a youth, he was small and physically weak, leading Southampton to release him. He had a brief spell at AFC Bournemouth lasting just a year, then lost his passion for football and returned to Guernsey, becoming the youngest debutant in the local league. Later, he decided to make one final attempt at a professional career in England, trialling at Bristol City – this was almost his last chance, and he had to seize it.

Tinnion recalled: "We arranged for him to play a friendly against a London academy team during a week-long trial. He scored a perfect hat-trick in 35 minutes: one with his left foot, one with his right, and one with his head. I was shocked and thought, who is this kid? We'd watched his videos before, but seeing him in person, we realized he was extraordinary."

When playing for England's youth teams, he consistently stood out and led the side. In the 2022 U19 European Championship semi-final against Italy, Scott came off the bench and scored with a header, helping the Young Lions reach and win the tournament. In last year's U21 European Championship final, he started alongside Elliot Anderson, completely disrupting Germany's rhythm and helping the team to victory.

Training attitude? First-rate.

Does he get discouraged when left out of the squad? He has frequently come off the bench in major competitions to turn the game around.

How are his relationships with teammates? Nobody has a single negative word to say about him.

Can he absorb tactical instructions? Several interviewed coaches confirm he can execute even the most detailed tactical arrangements with precision.

Ability to handle setbacks? In 2023, AFC Bournemouth signed him for £25 million, and he immediately suffered a knee injury, playing just 3 matches all season; a year later, he ruptured his meniscus. On the eve of the U21 European Championship, he fractured his jaw and left the final in tears due to injury. After recovering last season, he helped AFC Bournemouth qualify for European competition, and although not selected for this summer's World Cup squad, Thomas Tuchel values him highly and invited him to Florida for England's pre-season training camp.

Ability to handle pressure? Without question, he passes with flying colours.

Now let's discuss Scott's on-pitch appeal. His main strength lies in his versatility, which is key to why so many top clubs are interested in him.

Bristol City initially used him as a left wing-back, but he has since moved inside, playing as a defensive midfielder (number 6), a complete box-to-box midfielder (number 8), or an attacking midfielder (number 10) playing behind the striker.

Manchester United desperately needs a defensive midfielder to orchestrate the tempo of attack and defence, to pair with Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes; Arsenal needs a progressive ball-carrier to accelerate their attacking transitions. Rogers and Jeremy Monga are also on the Gunners' transfer list.

Scott appears lean, but his physical presence should not be underestimated. Last season, his ball progression was excellent, with 21% of his carries resulting in effective forward progression – data agencies define this as carrying the ball at least 5 metres forward. This statistic ranked him fourth among all defensive midfielders in Europe's top five leagues last season.

Under AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola and England U21 coach Lee Carsley, Scott has recently taken on more defensive responsibilities in depth, slowing down opponents' attacks with significant effect, especially when partnering with Anderson.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta prefers versatile players, as evidenced by signings like Merino, Levis Skelly, Kai Havertz, and several centre-backs who can play as full-backs. In April this year, AFC Bournemouth beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates, with Scott scoring the winner, and Arteta witnessed his abilities firsthand.

After the match, Iraola commented: "He can play as a number 10, a number 8, and in this game he played as a number 6. Beyond his already excellent ball-carrying ability, he's greatly improved his defensive cover and one-on-one tackle success rate. I'm very pleased he's developing into an almost complete midfielder with no weaknesses."

Foster believes clubs should rotate Scott across multiple positions rather than confining him to a single role. "Whether in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, I wouldn't limit him to one shirt number. He always has a positive impact on the game, has an excellent understanding of play, and knows what task needs to be accomplished at every moment."

"He is the model of a complete traditional midfielder. If you ask what type of players Paul Scholes and Roy Keane were, they were complete central midfielders, and Alex is the same. Running across the entire pitch, stabilizing midfield defence, advancing into the box to score, orchestrating attacks with a single pass – these are all within his capabilities. He can't be defined by one position; he's a top-level complete midfielder."

Statistics prove Scott ranks among the Premier League's best midfielders, possessing the ability to single-handedly change the course of a match.

Among active Premier League players last season, only Anderson (306) had more ball recoveries than Scott (195); he ranked third in fouls won, behind only Anderson (80) and Guimarães (75).

His tackles exceeded those of Arsenal's midfielders Rice and Zubimendi (both with 78) and surpassed Manchester United's defensive midfielder Casemiro (73); among midfielders, he completed 29 successful dribbles, ranking third behind Anderson (50) and Gibbs-White (30).

Foster added: "He's very decisive when receiving the ball under pressure, and as a midfielder, he can escape one-on-one defenders and is full of creativity."

Many coaches noted that despite Scott's lean physique and Grealish-like appearance, which might cause fans to overlook his contributions at both ends, his aerial duel success and one-on-one tackle success rate are very impressive.

However, AFC Bournemouth's stance is clear: they have no intention of selling Scott. He has two years remaining on his contract, and new manager Roger Schmidt plans to build the entire squad around him. The club wants to keep him and is eager to extend his contract, further increasing his transfer value.

But this won't deter Manchester United and Arsenal's pursuit; both clubs are increasingly confident about signing him. Scott's half-sister, Maya Le Tissier, is Manchester United Women's captain and could play a crucial role in this transfer.

In January 2023, Crystal Palace, West Ham, and Tottenham Hotspur (Scott's childhood favourite club) watched him, but ultimately all pulled out, allowing AFC Bournemouth to sign him months later.

Nigel Pearson, who gave him his Bristol City debut, academy coach Foster, and U21 coach Carsley admire him greatly; Iraola thinks highly of him and may even prompt Liverpool to enter the race; Tuchel increasingly values this "Grealish of Guernsey".

Manchester United and Arsenal understand that it's no coincidence so many renowned managers unanimously favour his qualities, and a bidding war is about to begin.

Traduzido por IA.

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