Charlie Austin names £100m star as the ‘perfect’ replacement for Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea
It’s the final two hours of the transfer window, and Chelsea look as if they’ve got their man. Lamine Camara is doing a medical after Chelsea agreed to sell Enzo Fernandez to Man City.
But moments later, Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro has pulled the plug. Camara remains at Monaco because Scuro believed Folarin Balogun was joining Everton, only for Balogun to reject the deal.
Monaco kept their man, City got theirs, and Chelsea were left without a replacement for a World Cup winner. Since the window has shut, one name has been linked with the Blues more than any other.
Charlie Austin believes Alex Scott is the ‘perfect’ signing
Shortly before news of his injury appeared, Chelsea were reported as leading the race for Alex Scott. The Bournemouth midfielder had just made his first England start, coming in a 7-0 win over Croatia.
It was then reported that Scott had suffered a muscle injury that is likely to keep him out until the end of November. Nevertheless, Chelsea feel Scott is the ideal replacement for Fernandez; Charlie Austin agrees.
Alex Scott and Lamine Camara are both exceptional talents, but who would improve Chelsea more and why?
Speaking on TalkSPORT on Monday afternoon, former Premier League striker Austin has named Scott as the perfect man to join Chelsea and replace the loss of Man City’s record signing Fernandez in January.
“Listen, everyone knew what was going to happen with Enzo Fernandez. For Chelsea not to get a replacement for him was a disappointment. The boy Alex Scott at Bournemouth is an exceptional talent.
“It was unfortunate to get injured during the international break and miss the weekend’s game. I think he would be the perfect replacement [for Fernandez] at Chelsea,” Austin continued, discussing the scenario.
Why Alex Scott is keen on a move and Bournemouth’s plan
Xabi Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 system means the double pivot requires two defensive-minded players to play in front of the defence. There is a theory that Fernandez would not have suited Alonso; he’s too attacking.
Scott is similar technically to Fernandez, in that he can shoot from long range and create chance after chance. But there is a minute difference, and that is that Scott is more of a deep-lying playmaker.
The difference in the metrics below proves that last season, Scott operated as a deeper midfielder than Fernandez. His larger involvement in the defensive stats proves that Scott would suit Alonso’s system.
| 2025-26 PL season per 90 | Alex Scott (Bournemouth) | Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) |
| Primary Deployment | DM (35 games) | CM / AM (29 games) |
| Ball Recoveries | 10.3 | 6.02 |
| Clearances | 2.09 | 0.59 |
| Tackles + Interceptions | 2.86 | 2.12 |
| Touches in Opp. Box | 1.26 | 3.38 |
| Passes into Opp. Box | 0.80 | 2.01 |
Furthermore, Scott is said to be keen on a move to Chelsea. He is excited at the prospect of playing with England pals Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer every week. But Bournemouth have a £100m plan in place.
In the same way they extracted their asking price for Antoine Semenyo from Man City, the plan is to offer Scott a new deal that includes a release clause, which could be £100m. It would force Chelsea to pay up.
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