Gilmour: ‘Very hard to say no to Napoli, McTominay grown massively’

Gilmour: ‘Very hard to say no to Napoli, McTominay grown massively’ Billy Gilmour admits it was ‘very hard to say no’ when Napoli approached him at Brighton, and Scott McTominay has ‘grown massively’ for Scotland too since coming to Serie A. The midfielder followed his Scotland teammate Scott McTominay to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the summer of 2024, making the transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion for €14.75m plus bonus. He was part of the squad that won the Scudetto in 2025 under Antonio Conte. Gilmour enjoying life at Napoli FLORENCE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 20: Billy Gilmour of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and SSC Napoli at Stadio Artemio Franchi on September 20, 2026 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images) “It’s an exciting League,” Gilmour told Premier Sports TV. “When you have these big clubs from Italy who approach and say they want to sign you, it’s very hard to say no. I wanted to come here, I wanted to challenge for trophies, and be at such a great club.” So far, the 25-year-old has made 52 competitive appearances for Napoli , scoring two goals and providing one assist. This is despite numerous injury problems, including one that forced him to miss the 2026 World Cup for Scotland. “There’s been a few Scots that have played in Italy, Denis Law being one, also a lot of players now would love to come to Serie A,” continued Gilmour. GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MAY 30: Billy Gilmour of Scotland leaves the pitch with an injury during the international friendly match between Scotland and Curacao at Hampden Park on May 30, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images) Along with Lewis Ferguson at Bologna, Che Adams for Torino, Lennon Miller at Udinese, the Scotland international who made by far the biggest impact was McTominay. He was named Serie A Player of the Year in 2025, an absolutely essential part of the Napoli Scudetto-winning team. “Since he’s been here, Scott’s confidence has grown massively, you can see how much he means to the fans and to us as players, we can rely on him whenever we need a goal and need help. The same goes for Scotland.” NAPLES, ITALY – AUGUST 30: Scott McTominay of Napoli is challenged by Lucas Da Cunha of Como during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Como 1907 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on August 30, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) McTominay is currently out of action following heart surgery to correct a mild cardiac arrhythmia, and is expected back after the break for international duty. “We’re missing Scott now and hopefully things went well, we can’t wait to have him back.” Gilmour is now adapting to life under new Napoli coach Allegri, who has taken over from Conte. “It’s a new manager at club and national team, so getting used to new formations and new ways of playing, but overall it’s exciting.” Billy Gilmour discusses why he chose Napoli, Scott McTominay’s success, the appeal of Italy for Scottish players, and life under a new manager with the arrival of Max Allegri in Naples 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🤝🔵
“When you have these big clubs from Italy approach you…it’s very hard to say no” 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/NUgTOIkiGv