When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
