BILLY BREMNER MEMORIAL JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN
Date: 14th March 2025
In the last decade, Scotland has had more success on the international stage, with successive qualification to the European Championships in 2020 and 2024 putting an end to the somewhat dismal record of the previous two decades. These successes for the nation have led to lucrative opportunities for some players, with recognition from elite clubs throughout Europe of real Scottish talent. The foremost example is Scott McTominay, who has demonstrated his qualities both domestically in major tournaments for Manchester United and on the national stage with Scotland. His performances sparked the attention of 2022-2023 Serie A winners Napoli, who eventually signed him for €30.5 million, making him the most expensive Scottish football player transfer of all time.
Italy has a reputation for the recruitment of Scottish talent. As well as McTominay, we’ve seen internationalists Che Adams moving to Torino and Aaron Hickey to Bologna. Napoli seem to have a particular affinity with Scots. As well as McTominay, they spent €14 million on Billy Gilmour, who, although starting his career at Celtic for three months was primarily an academy product of Rangers FC. His progression through the ranks of every age group of the Scottish National Team led to him making his senior debt in 2021. His career took off when he moved to Chelsea in the Premier League, before becoming a vital component of the Brighton and Hove Albion team who were challenging for European qualification in 2022, leading, in turn, to him getting the move to Napoli in 2024.
Gilmour’s example shows that Scottish football can produce talent through our academy systems, developing the qualities that allow players to create a name for themselves on the biggest stages in Europe. Scottish talent excelling in Italy is not a recent trend: some of Scotland’s greatest ever players have thrived there, with Denis Law scoring 10 goals in 28 appearances for Torino, and Graeme Souness having a very successful two-year stint at Sampdoria.
Many Scottish towns and clubs have produced talent who have progressed reputable careers on the European stage. The Hamilton Academical youth system produced James McCarthy, James McArthur and Lewis Ferguson, who have all progressed through the ranks to have successful careers in the Scottish Premiership and the English Premier League – and in the case of Ferguson, the Serie A.
This year, we’ve seen two St Johnstone youth players move south, with Brodie Dair going to Fulham FC, after being with St. Johnstone and progressing through their youth system from the age of 12 and Callan Hamill going to Arsenal.
Scottish football clubs benefit financially by such moves, while the benefits to the players are obviously financial and the chance to make their mark on a bigger stage. There is, of course, a challenge for these youngsters in adapting to a new style of football in different countries but quality should win through. The key question is how can Scotland develop its young talent to a high enough level where they get consistent minutes on the pitch at high stature European clubs? The more players that can do this the better for the Scottish international team – and the more money that can then be reinvested in our domestic game to bring through the next generation of teenagers. Put simply, for Scottish football to flourish, we need to increase the quantity and quality of academy players throughout Scotland and give more of them the chance to become the next Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour or, even better, Denis Law.
Jamie Barnett, SFSA Student Volunteer
Posted in: Latest News
Tags: Italy