Billy Gilmour left Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer window after what felt like months of efforts from Napoli to secure the midfielder.
Initially, the Serie A club had thought they could secure Gilmour for far less than he ultimately cost them, and on multiple occasions it felt like the deal would collapse and Napoli move on to other targets.
That they didn’t would heavily suggest Antonio Conte specifically wanted the Scotland international and pushed Napoli strongly to agree a deal with Brighton. Conte is a passionate manager and he’d already spoken out in the summer to make it clear he needed more support from those in charge.
Despite, and maybe helpfully, being somewhat in the shadow of Scott McTominay, Gilmour has been gradually settling into his new surroundings.
Now he’s given an interview to the Italian media and it’s no surprise they asked him about working with Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton.
Asked whether the manager changed his career, Gilmour is quoted by AreaNapoli as saying: “Yes, he definitely had a major impact: he taught me a lot that changed my way of playing, it was important to have him for my career and for my growth path. There are things in common between him and Conte: they always ask for the best during training, they can give you a lot to help you grow.”
McTominay and Gilmour have obviously the subject of much attention in Naples. The former Brighton midfielder was asked which of the pair is the most Neapolitan so far, and said: “He is probably a little further along in the process of “Neapolitanization”. We study Neapolitan, but we also do it through songs: we listen to Geolier, there are two or three songs that I listen to the most. The first approach was with taxi drivers in cars.”
Billy Gilmour has played 10 Serie A matches so far this season, with the 23-year-old averaging just over 40 minutes per game.
