In an interview with the Evening Times, SFA Performance School Manager, Brian McLaughlin, has claimed Billy Gilmour is earning rave reviews at Chelsea.
Rangers sold the gifted midfielder to the London club for £500,000 back in 2017 when he was still only 15 [Sky Sports]. It was a grand sum for such a young player, but one he appears to be justifying with his rapid rise through the ranks.
Now 18, Gilmour featured in two pre-season fixtures for the senior side, before travelling to Istanbul for the UEFA Super Cup. Teams can name extended squads for that fixture and so the ex-Gers youngster got himself a spot on the bench.
Former Rangers starlet given big billing
He wasn’t a token inclusion, either. According to McLaughlin, the Premier League club’s staff are very impressed by various aspects of his game, causing them to draw comparisons with the current Gers manager.
“The Chelsea coaches spoke about Billy’s mentality,” McLaughlin told the Evening Times. “They said it’s the exact same as Steven Gerrard’s was. Technically, they’re at the same level, tactically they’re at the same level. The biggest thing, though, is the mentality.”
“They said Billy was the first there in the morning, trains the hardest and he’s the last to leave. It seems to be now a common thread with all of the players who have come through the performance schools and that’s very pleasing because it’s something we’re trying to create.”
Verdict
Clearly, McLaughlin has an agenda to push in terms of the promotion of the Performance Schools programme. Yet, it’s interesting to hear the reported thoughts of the Chelsea coaches on Gilmour.
Some thought the teenager was making a mistake heading south of the border. After all, Chelsea are a big club with lots of cash, but they have a poor record of bringing through talent into the first team.
With the arrival of Frank Lampard and a transfer ban in place, it seems the intention will be to change that.
It would have been great to have been able to hold onto Gilmour for a while longer at least. Yet, it’s clear that if he’s earning comparison’s with the current Rangers boss, he’s doing plenty right down there.
