After much speculation about his future during the summer, Bristol City traded the midfielder to Bournemouth only three weeks before the transfer market closed.
Alex Scott, a former midfielder for Bristol City, acknowledges that his £25 million move to Bournemouth felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders following a summer in which he expected to leave Ashton Gate but grew increasingly pessimistic about a transfer happening.
After two outstanding seasons in the Championship, Scott signed for the Cherries on August 11. City secured a club record fee for the England Under-20 international. Wolves and Bournemouth both unsuccessfully bid for the 19-year-old Channel Islander during the transfer window, and the latter eventually agreed to pay City’s asking price.
While Scott was a regular during preseason and was only sidelined for the first few games of the season by a knee injury sustained in the week before the season began, Robins manager Nigel Pearson consistently insisted he was planning for 2023/24 with Scott in his squad.
Scott claims in a BBC interview that the uncertainty became a more difficult mental challenge as time went on because he always wanted to play in the Premier League but was also considering the possibility of staying in the Championship until the Cherries and City finally reached an agreement.
Scott told the BBC, “It is tough, and I think the longer it goes on, the tougher it gets.” “There was a lot of talk about my future and other things in the summer, and I really wanted to treat Bristol City with the utmost respect because of what they’ve done for me, the entire club, the staff, and the players. And I wanted to approach it in a respectable manner.
“And I believe I succeeded. The longer it goes on and you want the transfer but it almost seems like it won’t happen, it does get difficult. I trained whenever I could and participated in all the preseason games. I did everything correctly.
“You have to consider where you’re going to be. You kind of get into your own brain, like, ‘yes, at this point I’m probably going to be still at Bristol City for the coming season. Even though it’s difficult to comprehend, the relocation eventually took place, which is a blessing.
“Of course, I also learned the news about my knee, which didn’t help with the overall situation, but as soon as the move had been completed, I was just so thrilled and it felt like a lot of weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I could then relax a little more and come to a new place, get to know the guys, and get to know the city. Since I’ve been here for a month, I’ve grown to appreciate it more and more every week.
Due to the knee injury he acquired at the High Performance Centre, Scott is yet to make an appearance for his new team. Under new head coach Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth has started the Premier League campaign with three draws and four losses. The 19-year-old has started light training with his colleagues, including the well-known Antoine Semenyo, and is expected to be available for selection before the end of this month.
“Honestly, getting hurt is the worst, but you have to see it as a means to develop yourself in different ways. I’ve never experienced a true injury that lasted more than a week or two, so I’ve been crushing the gym to improve my lower and upper bodies and get as physically fit as I can to play,” Scott continued.
It will be an improvement. I’m not naive; I am aware that the Premier League will be considerably tougher, so I must be as prepared as possible. I just got on with it, made an effort to get through it, and saw every day as an opportunity to develop a new skill.
“Fortunately, I’m back on the pitches now and working with the ball, which helps make it a little bit easier. The process of getting back in shape is almost complete, and I can’t wait to get started and show everyone how good I can be.
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