West Ham United can be forgiven for being distracted by negotiations with Arsenal over a payment structure for £105m midfielder Declan Rice, but David Moyes' side are at risk of being left short come the start of the new Premier League season.
What new players have West Ham bought?
With five weeks to go until their trip to Bournemouth to kick off the 2023-24 season, West Ham have yet to make any signings this window.
That will surely frustrate manager Moyes, who will be fully aware that his squad is in need of freshening up, with May's Europa Conference League triumph papering over the cracks of a poor Premier League season.
A new central midfielder is top of Moyes' list of targets – or indeed a couple if a like-for-like Rice replacement cannot be found – with Ajax's Edson Alvarez, Manchester United's Scott McTominay and Everton's Amadou Onana all rumoured targets.
According to The Guardian, West Ham also hold an interest in Bristol City's Alex Scott, who is on the radar of fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
How much is Bristol City's Alex Scott worth?
Scott may have spent his senior career to date in the Championship, yet he is reportedly worth at least £20m to Bristol City due to the fact he has two years to run on his Ashton Gate contract.
Despite being just 19 years old, Scott already has 81 Championship appearances under his belt, having been a regular for the Robins over the past two campaigns.
The teenage midfielder rose to prominence earlier this year after impressing Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in an FA Cup tie, with the Catalan describing him as an "unbelievable player".
As pointed out by football talent scout Jacek Kulig after Scott was named the Championship's Young Player of the Year, he has a "big future ahead" of him.
Scott cannot be expected to slot straight in and take over the role of Rice, of course. Then again, who could?
Instead, the Guernsey native can provide some versatility for Moyes, given he featured in defensive midfield, central midfield, attacking midfield and on both flanks last season, as per WhoScored.
Versatile he may be, but it is as a pure central midfielder that Scott thrives. The Englishman ranks in the top 11% of all midfielders in the eight competitions most similar to the Championship for progressive carries (2.34 per 90 minutes), as per FBref, and in the top 16% for successful take-ons (1.22).
In that aforementioned FA Cup tie with Man City last season, which Bristol City lost 3-0, Scott's five dribbles were the joint-most of any player on the field, level with opponent Phil Foden – quite the company.
As per WhoScored, Scott's pass accuracy of 83.3% that day was also the third-most of any Robins player to attempt 10 passes or more, which is made all the more impressive when you factor in he was playing as an attacking midfielder.
Scott is not exactly a hidden gem, which explains his price tag, but he could be a very smart option for West Ham to kick off their transfer business in the post-Declan Rice era.