Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen 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 – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
