When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played 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 deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
