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Scott McTominay is set to thrive at Conte’s Napoli

Scott McTominay is set to thrive at Conte’s Napoli

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Napoli’s supporters wasted no time in welcoming Scott McTominay. Hundreds of them mobbed the midfielder after landing at Naples Airport to complete a €30m transfer from Manchester United.

By Graham Ruthven

Before he’d even reached the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, McTominay was confronted by his importance to Antonio Conte’s new-look team.

Alessandro Buongiorno might have cost more (€35m), but McTominay was Napoli’s biggest signing of the summer. He was the marquee addition that said Conte had got his way after publicly complaining about a lack of new signings. Under pressure from his new manager, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis relented. McTominay was one of three deadline day signings – Billy Gilmour and Romelu Lukaku being the other two.

McTominay has the makings of the perfect Conte player. Nobody could ever question the Scotland international’s professionalism and commitment to the cause. Conte won’t have to ban McTominay from having ketchup, like he did his Tottenham Hotspur players – the Scotland international is a physical specimen.

“Scott is exactly the type of player we need at Napoli,” said Conte after the signing of McTominay from Manchester United was confirmed. “He has the mentality and the skills to lead this team back to where it belongs. His work ethic and determination are unmatched, and I believe he will be a crucial part of our success.”

On the pitch, McTominay will also satisfy a need for his new team. Napoli required someone to provide forward thrust from midfield and this is where the 27-year-old will offer a lot. Previously misunderstood as a number six earlier in his career, the last few years has seen McTominay flourish as a box-crashing chaos merchant. Conte wants to harness that chaos.

Anyone who has watched McTominay for Scotland knows just how impactful he can be as an attacking force. He has scored 10 goals in his last 15 games at international level with his latest strikes coming in the recent Nations League matches against Poland and Portugal. Steve Clarke has built around McTominay as Scotland’s most reliable difference-maker.

Only Rasmus Højlund and Bruno Fernandes scored more goals in all competitions for Manchester United last season than McTominay. He averaged 1.4 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League as well as 1.2 aerials won per 90 minutes. Several United players underwhelmed last season as the Old Trafford side finished a lowly eighth, but McTominay wasn’t one of them.

Of course, McTominay has his flaws as a player. He’s not the sort of midfielder who can dictate possession from deep. His passing statistics leave a lot to be desired – he ranked 20th in Manchester United’s squad for key passes per 90 last season and is in the bottom ninth percentile for passes completed per 90 among players in his position.

This is why Napoli’s deadline day signing of Gilmour from Brighton was so crucial. With a midfield rhythm builder like the 23-year-old behind him McTominay will have the freedom to get forward and play his natural game. The energetic Stanislav Lobotka, who caught the eye for Slovakia at Euro 2024, will also provide a safety net deeper in midfield. 

Having Gilmour and Lobotka as a double pivot should help McTominay avoid the pitfalls that frequently befell him at Manchester United. José Mourinho used the Scot alongside Fred as one half of a midfield pairing that was dubbed ‘McFred’ by supporters who argued United needed better in the centre of the pitch.

The stench of the ‘McFred’ partnership followed McTominay around until his final season at United when Erik ten Hag finally started using him in a more advanced role where there wasn’t so much of an onus on the Scot to create with the ball. There is surely some regret at Old Trafford that McTominay’s true qualities weren’t recognised earlier.

For Napoli, McTominay will be pushed up alongside Lukaku who has been reunited with Conte after winning Serie A together at Inter. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been given a free role by Conte in Napoli’s first few matches of the season and will provide verticality down the left wing. McTominay will be expected to dovetail with the Georgian. As a trio, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia and McTominay will be a handful. 

While there is talent at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Conte has a lot to address to turn Napoli into a force again. Defeat to Verona on the opening day of the new Serie A season highlighted just how far Gli Azzurri have fallen since they surged to the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti. Subsequent results and performances against Bologna and Parma have been better, but few expect Napoli to challenge for the title this season.

The saga around Victor Osimhen also damaged Napoli. Having been linked with a mega-money move away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona all summer, the Nigerian striker ended up joining Galatasaray on loan in a deal that suits nobody but the Turkish club. Napoli should have collected a big fee for their prize asset. Instead, they are icing Osimhen for a full season.

De Laurentiis has lost the trust of many Napoli supporters and maybe even that of his new manager too. However, the larger-than-life film producer has turned around situations like this before. Indeed, the summer before Napoli won the Scudetto was marked by protests against the club’s leadership.

Conte’s appointment was a coup for Napoli after the former Chelsea and Italy boss was linked with AC Milan and Juventus and the signing of McTominay proves he has been permitted to put his own stamp on Gli Azzurri. The Scot might have been deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United, but he will be a central pillar for his new team in Serie A.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Serie A on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Scott McTominay is set to thrive at Conte’s Napoli

Napoli’s supporters wasted no time in welcoming Scott McTominay. Hundreds of them mobbed the midfielder after landing at Naples Airport to complete a €30m transfer from Manchester United.

By Graham Ruthven

Before he’d even reached the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, McTominay was confronted by his importance to Antonio Conte’s new-look team.

Alessandro Buongiorno might have cost more (€35m), but McTominay was Napoli’s biggest signing of the summer. He was the marquee addition that said Conte had got his way after publicly complaining about a lack of new signings. Under pressure from his new manager, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis relented. McTominay was one of three deadline day signings – Billy Gilmour and Romelu Lukaku being the other two.

McTominay has the makings of the perfect Conte player. Nobody could ever question the Scotland international’s professionalism and commitment to the cause. Conte won’t have to ban McTominay from having ketchup, like he did his Tottenham Hotspur players – the Scotland international is a physical specimen.

“Scott is exactly the type of player we need at Napoli,” said Conte after the signing of McTominay from Manchester United was confirmed. “He has the mentality and the skills to lead this team back to where it belongs. His work ethic and determination are unmatched, and I believe he will be a crucial part of our success.”

On the pitch, McTominay will also satisfy a need for his new team. Napoli required someone to provide forward thrust from midfield and this is where the 27-year-old will offer a lot. Previously misunderstood as a number six earlier in his career, the last few years has seen McTominay flourish as a box-crashing chaos merchant. Conte wants to harness that chaos.

Anyone who has watched McTominay for Scotland knows just how impactful he can be as an attacking force. He has scored 10 goals in his last 15 games at international level with his latest strikes coming in the recent Nations League matches against Poland and Portugal. Steve Clarke has built around McTominay as Scotland’s most reliable difference-maker.

Only Rasmus Højlund and Bruno Fernandes scored more goals in all competitions for Manchester United last season than McTominay. He averaged 1.4 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League as well as 1.2 aerials won per 90 minutes. Several United players underwhelmed last season as the Old Trafford side finished a lowly eighth, but McTominay wasn’t one of them.

Of course, McTominay has his flaws as a player. He’s not the sort of midfielder who can dictate possession from deep. His passing statistics leave a lot to be desired – he ranked 20th in Manchester United’s squad for key passes per 90 last season and is in the bottom ninth percentile for passes completed per 90 among players in his position.

This is why Napoli’s deadline day signing of Gilmour from Brighton was so crucial. With a midfield rhythm builder like the 23-year-old behind him McTominay will have the freedom to get forward and play his natural game. The energetic Stanislav Lobotka, who caught the eye for Slovakia at Euro 2024, will also provide a safety net deeper in midfield. 

Having Gilmour and Lobotka as a double pivot should help McTominay avoid the pitfalls that frequently befell him at Manchester United. José Mourinho used the Scot alongside Fred as one half of a midfield pairing that was dubbed ‘McFred’ by supporters who argued United needed better in the centre of the pitch.

The stench of the ‘McFred’ partnership followed McTominay around until his final season at United when Erik ten Hag finally started using him in a more advanced role where there wasn’t so much of an onus on the Scot to create with the ball. There is surely some regret at Old Trafford that McTominay’s true qualities weren’t recognised earlier.

For Napoli, McTominay will be pushed up alongside Lukaku who has been reunited with Conte after winning Serie A together at Inter. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been given a free role by Conte in Napoli’s first few matches of the season and will provide verticality down the left wing. McTominay will be expected to dovetail with the Georgian. As a trio, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia and McTominay will be a handful. 

While there is talent at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Conte has a lot to address to turn Napoli into a force again. Defeat to Verona on the opening day of the new Serie A season highlighted just how far Gli Azzurri have fallen since they surged to the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti. Subsequent results and performances against Bologna and Parma have been better, but few expect Napoli to challenge for the title this season.

The saga around Victor Osimhen also damaged Napoli. Having been linked with a mega-money move away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona all summer, the Nigerian striker ended up joining Galatasaray on loan in a deal that suits nobody but the Turkish club. Napoli should have collected a big fee for their prize asset. Instead, they are icing Osimhen for a full season.

De Laurentiis has lost the trust of many Napoli supporters and maybe even that of his new manager too. However, the larger-than-life film producer has turned around situations like this before. Indeed, the summer before Napoli won the Scudetto was marked by protests against the club’s leadership.

Conte’s appointment was a coup for Napoli after the former Chelsea and Italy boss was linked with AC Milan and Juventus and the signing of McTominay proves he has been permitted to put his own stamp on Gli Azzurri. The Scot might have been deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United, but he will be a central pillar for his new team in Serie A.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Serie A on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.