Napoli Chief Admits Worry Over Scott McTominay's Future at the Club
Napoli are expressing significant concern regarding the future of Scott McTominay, with club officials feeling vulnerable to a substantial offer for their influential midfielder. The 29-year-old Scotland international has been a standout performer in Italy since his move from Manchester United in the summer of 2024, a transfer that cost Napoli just over £25 million.
McTominay's Impact in Serie A
McTominay enjoyed a monumental first season with Napoli, scoring 12 league goals as the club clinched the Serie A title. His exceptional performances earned him the prestigious player of the season award in the Italian top flight. Under the management of Antonio Conte, Napoli are currently trailing Inter in this season's title race, but McTominay continues to shine with nine goals across all competitions so far.
His form has also been pivotal on the international stage, where he helped fire Scotland to the upcoming World Cup. A memorable moment came in November, when he scored a stunning overhead kick in the crucial qualification victory over Denmark.
Transfer Concerns and Club Admissions
Unsurprisingly, McTominay's fine form has sparked links with a potential return to the Premier League. Napoli's global business development officer, Leonardo Giammarioli, has openly admitted that this prospect is a genuine concern for the club.
However, Giammarioli also expressed a willingness to wish McTominay well if he were to secure a major move elsewhere. In an interview with talkSPORT, he stated: 'Yeah, of course I'm worried. But ultimately, especially Scott, who's a very nice guy, we're happy if he gets to the next level in a couple of years – maybe not now, maybe not next year, but he deserves it.'
He drew a parallel with other clubs' experiences, noting: 'Look at Stuttgart, they wanted to keep Nick Woltemade, but when such an offer comes in, there's not much you can do, when the player wants to go and money is important.'
Challenges for Serie A Clubs
Giammarioli highlighted the broader financial challenges facing Serie A, explaining: 'It's a bit complicated for Serie A and our competitive clubs…the league is still making losses in revenue. Of course, it's hard to keep up with the other big four leagues, but we're trying to improve and be competitive.'
He emphasised the difficulty in retaining top talent, adding: 'Keeping players is difficult, it wasn't easy to get them, it's even harder to keep them. We need to be smart about our signings…every bit of money we spend must count.'
Conte's Praise for McTominay's Development
Napoli boss Antonio Conte recently spoke about McTominay's transformation under his management. In an interview with TNT Sports last month, Conte praised the midfielder's evolution into a complete player.
'In this year and a half, (McTominay) became a complete player,' Conte said. 'When I was in England and faced him as an opponent, I always saw his quality, but always one part of his quality – especially to attack the box and score. Instead, we worked with him on the build-up and construction, and I tried (with) difficulty also to transform him into a complete player.'
Conte noted that McTominay now plays alongside Stanislav Lobotka as part of a two-midfielder setup, significantly improving in build-up play while retaining his attacking threat. 'He now plays with Lobotka as two midfielders, and he has improved a lot in the build-up. At the same time, he has never lost the possibility to attack, to be a box-to-box player. Now he is, in my opinion, a really, really top player for an important club.'
Conte also mentioned similar development work with on-loan Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund, highlighting the importance of both players to Napoli's squad. 'He has improved a lot – it's the same for Rasmus Hojlund. In six months, we have worked a lot with him. He is only 22 years old; Scott is 29, so he is more mature as a player. Rasmus is a player who has a lot of space for improvement, he's only 22, but we are talking about two important players. We're lucky to have them in our team because they are helping a lot, Scott last season and this season Scott with Rasmus.'
