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Scotsman
19 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Hearts pay close attention to Lennon Miller's £4.5m transfer from Motherwell to Serie A club Udinese
Scotland internationalist heads to Italy for a medical Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Lennon Miller's impact in the Scottish Premiership drew attention from across Europe following his Motherwell debut at the age of 16. Now 18 and a full Scotland internationalist, he flew to Italy today for a medical at Udinese with a £4.5m transfer deal agreed. Clubs in Scotland, England, Germany and other countries coveted the midfielder's signature, but Serie A is his next destination. In one corner of Edinburgh, this move is being monitored more closely than might otherwise be expected. Miller leaving Motherwell for an Italian side should have no obvious effect on anyone at Tynecastle Park, except there is an indirect consequence to be considered. Hearts officials have watched Miller's progress from afar for some time because his market value is comparable that of their own teenage prodigy, James Wilson. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Both players are the same age, carry good top-flight experience, have been capped by Scotland at senior level, and are viewed as two of the country's most promising young talents. The money Motherwell earn for Miller - the initial fee will exceed the club record £3.25m received from Celtic for David Turnbull in 2020 - acts as an unofficial benchmark for Wilson's own transfer value. Not that Hearts have any intention of selling yet. Their young striker is contracted until summer 2027, while Miller's agreement at Fir Park is in its final 12 months. Nonetheless, it is inevitable that bigger clubs will eventually come calling for Wilson like they did Miller. Particularly in light of this year's international recognition. The Riccarton youth academy graduate became the youngest Scottish international footballer in history when taking the field against Greece in the Nations League play-off back in March this year. English Premier League clubs wanted him before he signed professional terms with Hearts, and interest at that level is still very much alive. Miller's CV includes 76 senior appearances for Motherwell, whom he joined aged seven. He scored five goals and claimed 11 assists from midfield in their first team, and holds two Scotland caps from friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein in June this year. To date, Wilson has 41 appearances for Hearts with eight goals and three assists, plus four European outings and that solitary Scotland cap. Hearts want the forward to continue developing in Scotland with the potential for a big sale further down the line. They have previous experience dealing with Serie A clubs, of course. Defender Aaron Hickey's transfer to Udinese's Serie A rivals Bologna in 2020 drew criticism because of an initial six-figure transfer fee and a pre-agreed sell-on sum. There is a feeling he was undervalued, but that was five years ago. The Tynecastle landscape is now rather different with the arrival of investor Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts transfer ins and outs will involve Jamestown In January this year, defender Daniel Oyegoke joined Hellas Verona in a move which earned Hearts a decent six-figure profit on a player signed from Brentford just six months beforehand. Jamestown's involvement in the timing of outgoing transfers should mean fees received in future are significantly higher. The prospect of Wilson being cherry-picked for a low figure and sold on the cheap is highly unlikely. The aforementioned Hickey moved on to Brentford from Bologna in a deal worth £14m up front, and potentially £5m more in add-ons. Further evidence of Italy as an environment where Scots can flourish lies in clubs like Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli tracking the progress of Lewis Ferguson, the Bologna captain who is valued at £30m by his club. The potential for serious progress, and even more serious money, makes Serie A attractive to both selling clubs and ambitious players. Additionally, the English Premier League has long been viewed as the financial holy grail for a footballer. A number of teams in that division are taking a keen interest in Wilson's prowess. Scottish clubs, understandably, want top dollar for players when selling to clubs in any of Europe's top five leagues. Motherwell deserve credit for negotiating a sensible and realistic fee for Miller in the final year of his contract. They rejected Udinese's £2.5m bid for the youngster in January. Across in Edinburgh, Derek McInnes' regards Wilson very much part of his new-look Hearts first-team squad. The manager rates the teenager highly and will use him regularly as the new season evolves. Wilson may well earn further Scotland call-ups for World Cup qualifiers this autumn. In the long term, a transfer to a higher level is certain to materialise. Miller's impending move to Italy gives Hearts a guide for the minimum level of fee they should be aiming for when negotiations begin.
Scotsman
19 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Lennon Miller update with Scotland star 'set for medical' as transfer and sell-on fee revealed
The Scotland international is edging towards a summer departure from Motherwell Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland international Lennon Miller is edging closer to a departure from Motherwell this month after he was spotted travelling to Italy on Mondau morning to undergo a medical with Serie A outfit Udinese. According to a report from Sky Sports, the Fir Park outfit are close to finalising an agreement which will see Jens Berthel Askou's side pick up a club record fee for the teenage midfielder, who is out of contract next summer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The 18-year-old is currently Scottish football's hottest property and has been linked to several clubs across Europe throughout the summer, with fellow Italian clubs Fiorentina, Torino, and Bologna said to be keen on securing the player, while Celtic are known to be long-term admirers of the talented youngster. It has also been reported that Ipswich Town had launched an official bid in recent weeks. Lennon Miller, who was pictured departing for Italy at Glasgow airport this morning. | SNS Group The first club to lodge an official bid for his services back in January, Udinese's offer of £2.5million for Miller was rejected, but the clubs reopened talks over the weekend after The Italians launched an improved bid of £4.5million, with a sell-on fee set to be included as part of any transfer, based on future performances and achievements at the Bluenergy Stadium. Miller was lauded for his mature display on his first start for Scotland in June, providing an assist in the 4-0 thrashing of Liechtenstein. His father, Lee - himself a former Scotland international - also backed his son in a move abroad as recently as last month, saying: 'He's mature enough to go and kick on in his career and he needs to do that himself. I'm more confident that he would go over there [Italy] and thrive. I think it would take his game to another level. That's the way he plays. He organises, and he takes the ball under pressure. It was proud for me as a dad watching it, seeing him being himself and not changing for anyone." Scotland boss Steve Clarke also recently admitted he envisions him following in the footsteps of players like Scott McTominay and Lewis Ferguson, but stressed that whether he goes abroad, or not, that 'the most important thing for any young player is to play,' adding that he wants Miller to 'go somewhere he's going to get minutes and develop.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Left out of Motherwell's squad for the 0-0 draw with St Mirren at the weekend, 'Well head coach Berthel Askou said: 'It's not a secret that things are going on in the background and we know he's been out for four weeks, so how much risk are you willing to take on a player like him, in that situation. The decision was that we kept him out of it. There's nothing I can tell you, I haven't heard any updates.'
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
Crichton's 'winning mentality' will help Rangers succeed, says captain Docherty
Rangers captain Nicola Docherty says Leanne Crichton's "winning mentality" will make her a success as the club's new head coach. Jo Potter made the move to Crystal Palace this summer, having won back-to-back domestic doubles with the Glasgow club and was replaced by former Glasgow City and Motherwell assistant a teammate of Crichton's at Glasgow City, feels the new boss' high standards will improve the teams' mentality, and it will be a "smooth" transition from being her teammate to her boss."I've actually found the new dynamic with her being my manager quite smooth because I remember when I look back on my career with Leanne I respected her so much as a player," the defender said. "So I think that's what makes it easier when she comes in to be my manager. I just remember that respect that I had for her, the winning mentality that she has, the standards that she drove day in, day out, and that's not going to be any different now that she's my manager."Although they won two of the three competitions they were involved in last term, Potter's side missed out on the league title on the final day, losing to champions Hibernian. "I think when you look at the cup success, it was amazing what we did," Docherty added. "We were probably the underdogs going into the Glasgow City game in the final and we came out on top."But when you look back at the final day at Ibrox it was obviously a difficult one to take and I told the players to go away and feel that emotion and that hurt because that's what will make us stronger for the upcoming season."I think the the key message well be taking into the season is consistency."And I think that's where we've let ourselves down in previous years, that winning mentality. It's consistency that wins you league titles".
