Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school 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 decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match 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,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team 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 matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
