West Ham United have sent scouts to watch Bristol City midfielder Alex Scott ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.
What's the latest on Scott to West Ham?
The Robins starlet has worked his way up through the academy ranks at Ashton Gate to become a regular feature of Nigel Pearson’s first-team squad, making 86 appearances – catching the eye of David Moyes at the London Stadium in the process.
Football Insider reported in February that the Irons were readying a summer move for the 19-year-old and haven’t decided to waste any time. GiveMeSport claims that the E20 outfit have already submitted an enquiry to discover his availability, but any kind of deal will be far from easy to complete.
The Championship ace is contracted until 2025, which means they will be entering the market in a very strong negotiating position, but having set a £25m price tag, it’s clear that they would be open to letting him go should they receive their demanded fee.
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham are on the lookout for replacements for Declan Rice and believe that Scott has what it takes to fill the role. Irons scouts “continue to watch” their target and were even in attendance to assess him at England U20's game against France last week. PSV Eindhoven’s Ibrahim Sangare and Manchester City’s Carlos Borges are thought to be two other central players being monitored, but it appears that City's talisman is currently the preferred choice.
Would Scott be a good signing for West Ham?
Scott is still a teenager, so viewing him as a possible successor to Rice right now may be too much pressure, but with the qualities that he possesses, he’s certainly got the potential to be his replacement in the long term.
The Guernsey-born talent is currently averaging 2.1 tackles per second-tier game so loves to get stuck in and win back possession for his team, but is equally as strong in the offensive aspect of his play. The Robins ace has provided five assists and scored two goals across all competitions this season (via Transfermarkt), whilst whipping 90 crosses into the box, highlighting his desire to create and put away chances.
Compared to positional peers playing at a similar level over the last 365 days, he also ranks in the 87th percentile for progressive carries and the 84th for successful take-ons, so isn’t afraid to beat his marker and make an impact in the final third (FBref).
Scott has been dubbed an “intelligent” midfielder by journalist Josh Bunting and we feel Moyes would be acquiring a real star in the making should the Irons successfully secure his services at the end of the season.
