We all know that Italian clubs have been actively scouting the Scottish Premiership for the past few years. They know that there’s talent to be had in Scotland and that our market represents good value for money.

With that in mind, I wondered who could be currently catching the eye of Italian scouts within Scottish football.

One name really does stand out and that’s Motherwell’s Lennon Miller.

At just seventeen years of age, Miller already plays with the maturity of a much older player.

Lennon has made thirty-seven first team appearances for The Steelmen. He’s a central midfielder who seems to thrive under pressure. Even against the likes of Celtic and Rangers, Miller has remained composed and astute with his passing. In tight situations the middle-man always seems to find away out of trouble and getting the ball to a teammate. It also helps that he has wonderful close control, which buys him time and wins him plenty of freekicks.

The youngster also possesses a fine range when it comes to his passing ability, often he will create chances for Motherwell with a lofted direct ball over the top and out to the wings. These passes break the lines, stretch the opposition and get his team on the front foot in dangerous positions. Intelligently the teenager is always quick to look up when he get the ball, have the vision to see where it should go and then make the pass.

Miller also has a good engine and won’t mind getting back into good defensive positions. He can battle tenaciously in the middle of the park and win the ball back for his side too. Again he shows that he is an intelligent player in defensive situations as he can anticipate interceptions with ease at times.

As well as being adept in playing in the engine-room the young man is also capable of playing on the righthand side of midfield and in a more attacking position centrally.

His impressive performances for Motherwell last season won Lennon international acclaim, he won his first under-21 cap earlier this year. He recently stated he would love to play for Scotland but knows that will only happen as long as he plays well week in and week out for his club (Source: Daily Record):

“I’d love to represent my country, anywhere, never mind here at Hampden, but that comes after my focus on Motherwell.”

“It’s obviously a big goal, I’ve played for under-21s in the summer and it’s something I want to do. I want to represent my country and hopefully I can do that.”

Obviously anytime a talented young player pops up in Scotland, who doesn’t play for either of the Glasgow giants, then they will get linked with the aforementioned big two. We’ve already seen those links pop up in the Scottish newspapers. Teams in the English Premier League have also been credited with an interest in the exciting midfield prospect.

But we all know now that those two destinations aren’t the be all and end all for Scottish talent looking to fulfil their potential on the football field.

Italy could prove to be a great platform for a player like Lennon Miller. They look after young stars and let them thrive. They also love a technically gifted midfielder.

Back in the 1990s a certain Paul Lambert moved to the continent from Fir Park, he would go on and become a Champions League winner with Borussia Dortmund. Now I am not saying that Lennon could do the exact same as Lambert but he could make a similar trip to Europe and shine in a top league like Serie A or the Bundesliga.

While I don’t think Motherwell will be in a rush to sell their prized asset, it won’t cost the world to get them around the negotiating table. I’d guess the Lanarkshire club would want to bring in a record transfer fee but that would only mean breaking the £3m (€3.5m) fee that Celtic paid Motherwell for David Turnbull back in 2020.

By offering say €5m in a structured deal, I think an Italian club or any club for that matter would be getting a real gem of a player who will, in my opinion, only get better and will see his value astronomically rise once he proves himself in a new team.

Posted on August 14th, 2024 by scott
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