When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
