Billy Gilmour says the opportunity to join Napoli was too difficult to turn down after the Italian club approached him while he was playing for Brighton.
The Scotland midfielder spent two years with Brighton before moving from the Amex Stadium to Napoli in August 2024. He signed a five-year contract with the Partenopei and won the Scudetto during his first season under manager Antonio Conte.
Gilmour has made 52 appearances for Napoli in all competitions. He scored the first goal of his club career last season, finding the net in a 3-2 victory against Pisa, and has also scored during the 2026-27 campaign in a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.
“It’s an exciting league,” Gilmour told Premier Sports TV.
“When you have these big clubs from Italy who approach and say they want to sign you, it’s very hard to say no.
“I wanted to come here; I wanted to challenge for trophies and be at such a great club.”
Gilmour joined Napoli on the same day as his Scotland team-mate Scott McTominay, who has made a significant impact since making his debut for the club.
McTominay was named Serie A Player of the Year in 2025 after helping Napoli win the Scudetto. He has also been selected in the league’s Team of the Year in each of his two seasons at the club.
The 29-year-old has played 82 matches for Napoli and scored 27 goals. He is currently unavailable after undergoing heart surgery to correct a mild cardiac arrhythmia, but is expected to return following the international break.
Gilmour said McTominay’s confidence had developed considerably since moving to Italy and highlighted the midfielder’s importance to both Napoli and Scotland.
“Since he’s been here, Scott’s confidence has grown massively,” Gilmour said.
“You can see how much he means to the fans and to us as players; we can rely on him whenever we need a goal and need help. The same goes for Scotland.
“We’re missing Scott now, and hopefully things went well; we can’t wait to have him back.”
