“Different class” - Bristol City defender compares Alex Scott to Man City star

Bristol City’s Kal Naismith has compared Alex Scott to Jack Grealish after a brilliant first half of the campaign. The midfielder has five assists from 28 starts in the Championship so far.

Scott made his senior debut for the Robins as a 17-year-old in April 2021 before going onto enjoy a breakthrough year the following season. Scott made 38 appearances during the 2021-22 campaign and bagged six goal contributions, as well as winning the 2022 Under-19 Euros with England in the summer.

Naismith, who moved to Ashton Gate from Luton Town last year, was full of praise for his teammate after a transfer window full of speculation. The defender even mentioned the likes of Grealish and Steven Gerrard when speaking about the youngster.

Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, Naismith said:  “Have a look for this boy, he’s deadly. A few clubs bid for him - he’s played every game for us - he won the Euros (U19s) with England in the summer. Centre mid, little old school, box-to-box. Like a Gerrard kind of (player) - obviously I don’t want to make that comparison, he’s got a long way to go. He’s tall enough, he’s maybe six foot, he can run all day, he’s hard in the tackle, really good on the ball.

“He’s different class, he’s reminding me of when Grealish was in the Champ, he’s obviously more of a centre mid but see that way he takes the ball, lets people get tight to him and then runs away as if they weren’t even there. His past 5-6 games, he’s been tremendous. I can honestly see him going to a top four/five team in the Prem.”

At only 19, Scott was heavily linked with a move to a top club in the Premier League throughout the January transfer window. While the midfielder is under contract at Ashton Gate until 2025, the Robins have already offered Scott a new contract as they looked to ward off any interest and have so far managed to keep him at the club following last week’s transfer deadline. The likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United have all been linked with the teenager - while City’s £25 million valuation was enough to put off Wolves following their enquiries.

Nigel Pearson’s side certainly did well to hold onto Scott last month after already losing star striker Antoine Semenyo to Bournemouth, however they are likely to face more competition in the summer. Speaking to BBC Radio Guernsey last month, Bristol City owner Steve Lansdown said: “He’s attracting attention as you’d expect but he’s signed for Bristol City for another two and a half years too.

“We’re keen to extend that further and he’s got a contract offer on the table, but we know there’ll be people interested in Alex. We’re not looking to sell him so he’s a Bristol City player and that’s the end of the story at the moment.”

Any chance of tying Scott down to a new deal may depend on their league position and their chances of eventually winning promotion to the top flight, however it is looking rather unlikely this season as the Robins sit 17th in the Championship.