Gilmour: I couldn't say no to Napoli, sends message to McTominay

The Scotland midfielder tells Premier Sports TV about his move to Serie A, his bond with Scott McTominay and settling in under a second new head coach in as many years.

by Gennaro SanninoWednesday 30 September, 19:03 CET· 2 hours ago

Gilmour con la maglia del SSC Napoli — Foto: football-italia.net

Billy Gilmour says turning down Napoli was never really an option. "When a big Italian club gets in touch and says they want to sign you, it's very hard to say no," the Scotland midfielder told Premier Sports TV. "I wanted to come here, I wanted to fight for trophies and be at such a prestigious club."

Gilmour pointed to Serie A's history with Scottish players to explain his enthusiasm for the move. "There have been a few Scots who played in Italy, Denis Law is one of them, and a lot of players want to come to Serie A now," he said.

"We miss Scott"

The most heartfelt part of the interview concerned Scott McTominay, his team-mate at both Napoli and with Scotland, who has been sidelined since 9 September after undergoing a heart ablation procedure in Manchester. "Since he's been here, McTominay's confidence has grown enormously. You can see how important he is for the supporters and for us as players, we can count on him whenever we need a goal or a hand. It's the same with Scotland," Gilmour said.

We miss Scott and we hope everything went well, we can't wait to have him back with us.

McTominay returned to gym work at Castel Volturno, Napoli's training ground, on Tuesday, with the stated aim of being available for the Frosinone game.

Gilmour was the central figure in Napoli's most recent outing himself. His goal put the side 1-0 up in Florence on 20 September in the 23rd minute, before Jiménez's equaliser in the 51st minute made it 1-1. That draw, from ten days ago, is the last result on a run that leaves Napoli ninth on 7 points after five games, following a home win over Bologna and the stalemate in Florence.

New coach, same challenge

Gilmour also touched on the tactical side of his season, a theme shared by club and country. "Compared to last season, I'm working with a new head coach at Napoli, Massimiliano Allegri, and also with Scotland, Sebastien Pocognoli. I know you have to get used to different systems and new ways of playing, but overall it's exciting."

Gilmour's words arrive at a tense moment around Napoli, with banners against president De Laurentiis in recent weeks and open questions over how solid Allegri's side really is. The enthusiasm of a player who chose the club to "fight for trophies" sits oddly with ninth place and a start short on certainties, it is for the team, not for interviews, to match those words on the pitch.

Napoli's next test is Frosinone on Saturday 10 October at the Maradona, the game in which they will try to turn things around and, under the club's gradual recovery plan, one in which McTominay could also be back in the squad.