Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, 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 mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement 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 team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating 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 rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year 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, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
