When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League 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 things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, 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 broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
