Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly 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 him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
