Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“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.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
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 ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game 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 career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
