Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing 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, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island 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, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
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 outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October 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 nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
