When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 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 eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
