Alex Scott Transfer News: Martin Zubimendi has hit back at transfer talk. According to the Mirror, the Arsenal midfielder has been linked with Atletico Madrid and Chelsea since his game time shrank behind Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bruno Guimarães. He accepts rumours surface as January nears, but wants the press to take more care. “I’ve also read that I might be close, but not at all,” he said, insisting he is focused only on earning his place and winning the Premier League.
The frustration has an obvious source. Arsenal paid Real Sociedad about £60m for the 27-year-old in 2025, and he began last season as Mikel Arteta’s anchor. Lewis-Skelly took that role during the title run-in, and the £75m arrival of Guimarães from Newcastle added another name above him. With Arsenal five points clear after beating Hull City 1–0 on 7 November, Arteta has no reason to change a winning midfield.
That run includes the 1–0 win at Anfield on 1 November, Arsenal’s first in the league there for 14 years. Havertz scored the only goal, and Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola called Jurriën Timber’s shirt pull on Alexander Isak a clear penalty. The Key Match Incidents panel backed him 4:1, ruling Liverpool were wrongly denied.
Arsenal revive interest in Alex Scott
Arsenal are planning ahead. The i Paper understands the Gunners have revived their interest in Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and will battle Chelsea and Liverpool for the 23-year-old, who rejected a new contract. Bournemouth still want £100m. His deal runs to 2028; BBC Sport reported there will be no January sale, and the Telegraph has Chelsea leading. Iraola, now at Liverpool, coached him at Bournemouth.
The England international carries the ball through pressure, attacks space well and has played as a six, an eight and a 10. He played 625 of a possible 630 minutes in the seven games Bournemouth took points off Arsenal, City, United, Liverpool and Chelsea last season. The weakness is end product.
The Mirror reported in the summer that Scott prefers Arsenal to Chelsea, yet worries about his minutes there.
Alex Scott Transfer News: Should Arsenal pay £100m for Alex Scott?
Not now, and not at that price. Rice, Ødegaard, Guimarães, Merino, Lewis-Skelly and Zubimendi already crowd the position, and Scott has voiced the exact fear that a £100m signing would spend his first year on the bench.
Arsenal would be repeating the Zubimendi problem at nearly double the cost. The numbers make it harder to defend, too, because Arteta’s side needs midfielders who score or create, and Scott has done neither often enough so far.
Patience is the better plan. Scott’s contract will have one year left next summer, which weakens Bournemouth’s grip on the price, and Arsenal could fund a deal by selling Zubimendi or Merino.
Losing him to Chelsea would hurt less than overpaying, since the champions sit well clear of them. If Scott’s end product improves under Marco Rose, he becomes a sensible long-term investment. Now he is an expensive answer to a question Arteta hasn’t asked.
