When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, 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 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected 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’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
