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, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next 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 by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
