Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign 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 player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
