Andoni Iraola's Rebuild at Liverpool: Targeting Alex Scott
Andoni Iraola has barely had time to find his office at Melwood, but he already knows who he wants to build around.
The new Liverpool manager, handed a two-year deal after Arne Slot’s dismissal last week, has marked out Bournemouth’s Alex Scott as his preferred first signing and the opening statement of his Anfield rebuild.
Iraola’s first big call
Liverpool’s fifth-place finish and empty trophy cabinet forced a reset. Slot paid the price, and Iraola arrives with a clear brief: sharpen a squad that has lost both edge and aura.
That task has been made heavier by the exits of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté at the end of the season. Big personalities, big minutes, big gaps. The squad needs fresh legs and fresh ideas, and Iraola has turned quickly to a player he knows well.
According to Sports Boom, the Spaniard has identified Scott as the man to headline his first transfer window on Merseyside. The 22-year-old midfielder, described as “unbelievable” in recent months, has put together a standout campaign at Bournemouth, his form pushing him into the eyeline of several top clubs.
His rise has been rapid. His price is following the same trajectory.
Bournemouth’s fight to keep their jewel
Bournemouth are not rolling over. Scott has become a key figure at the Vitality Stadium, and the club are preparing a new contract offer to reflect his status and to fend off the growing interest.
They are desperate to keep him. They know exactly what they have.
The problem for Bournemouth is timing. Scott, at 22, is understood to be open to a new challenge, and a long-term renewal on the south coast looks increasingly unlikely. The more his reputation grows, the harder it becomes to convince him his future lies in a relegation battle rather than a title race.
Liverpool are watching closely, ready to test Bournemouth’s resolve and their valuation.
Reports suggest the Cherries could hold out for as much as £60 million. Liverpool, according to Jamie Dickenson, would prefer something closer to £40 million. That gap will define how quickly this saga moves – or whether it moves at all.
The midfield question Liverpool must answer
Liverpool’s midfield has been a nagging issue for more than one season. The names are strong – Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai – but the balance has been fragile. Too often, the team were overrun, the distances too big, the control slipping away in key moments.
Jones, who has drifted in and out of the side, is now heavily linked with a move away as he enters the final year of his contract. If he goes, a gap opens not just in numbers, but in profile: a midfielder who can carry the ball, link play, and press with intensity.
That is exactly where Scott fits.
He would arrive as a direct replacement for Jones in the squad structure, but with the potential to grow into much more – a long-term pillar of Iraola’s new-look midfield. Energy, technical quality, and the ability to operate in a demanding, high-tempo system: that combination is precisely what Liverpool have lacked when games become chaotic.
Why Scott suits Iraola’s Liverpool
For Iraola, this is not just about talent. It is about trust and understanding.
Bringing in a player already familiar with his methods and tactical demands would fast-track the adaptation process inside a dressing room that has to move on quickly from a disappointing season. Scott knows how to work in a high-pressing, aggressive structure. He has already shown he can handle Premier League intensity.
If Liverpool can land him at something closer to their preferred £40 million figure, the move looks like the ideal opening shot of the Iraola era: a young, hungry midfielder, already proven in the league, with his best years ahead of him.
The fee, the negotiations, Bournemouth’s resistance – all of that will decide whether this becomes a statement signing or a missed opportunity. But Iraola has made his intentions clear.
His rebuild, if he gets his way, starts with Alex Scott.
