Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age 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 ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery 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 Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
