Bristol City coach pays emotional tribute to Alex Scott nears Bournemouth £25m transfer

Bristol City coach Curtis Fleming has paid tribute to Alex Scott ahead of his proposed move to AFC Bournemouth.

The 19-year-old is closing in on a move to the Vitality Stadium after the Cherries met the £25m asking price the Robins were asking for. News broke on Wednesday night that Scott would be discussing personal terms and undergoing a medical with the Dorset club.

Scott, who missed the Championship opener with Preston because of injury, has made 91 appearances to date for the club and is fully deserving of his move to the Premier League. He was considered the best young player in the Championship last year and has had a long list of admirers.

It was Nigel Pearson who gave him his debut back in April 2021, and after making his first start against Blackpool, he has gone on to become a focal point of the team. The teenager has had an immense amount of exposure to league football and has held his own against grown men.

Fleming said: “Whatever happens, do you want Scotty to leave the team? No, you’ve got to be honest but, at the end of the day, if the price is right and it’s a move that Alex wants to do then that’s the way it is but Bristol City will always be part of his life if he ends up going.

"He’s been given an unbelievable opportunity. Nigel gave him his debut a couple of years ago and he’s played 91 games. Would other coaches have given him a chance? Nige is probably his big Uncle, he’s introduced him to the professional game and I think for anybody club to lose him would be disappointed, at the end of the day that is football."

There’s been obvious mutual respect from Alex Scott to both Bristol City and Nigel Pearson for giving him an opportunity in professional football. He was on the books of Southampton and Bournemouth before and came to City having been suggested to technical director Brian Tinnion by Tony Vance.

Pearson’s first viewing of him was that he’d one day go on to play for England, and he has already lifted trophies with the Three Lions, having won the U19 Euros. He was involved this summer in the FIFA U20 World Cup, and was lauded as one of the players to watch out for.

Fleming added: "Over the 90 games, was he outstanding in every game? But you’ve got to stick with them and they’ve got to learn their trade sometimes in the hard environment that the Championship is.

“For him, there’s huge respect for Nige because he said to him, ‘if you do what I want you to do, then you’ll play’ and he was true to his word and the lad has come in and he’s done unbelievably well. He’s a top player, we all know that.

“We want him to do well and he’s a great guy around the place. And I think we all feel that he wouldn’t be leaving under a cloud. He’s worked his socks off, he’s never changed; he comes back from England and he’s picking disks up, working with Belly and Tommy shooting - there’s no change in the kid.

“For us, it’s hugely important for the young players that are coming up behind him to see that that’s the way it is: you don’t change, you don’t get above your station, it’s all about playing on a Saturday and if you do what you’re supposed to do, you will get an opportunity here.”