Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring 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 changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by 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.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
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 last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
