Football Italia icon reveals why Lennon Miller has chosen Udinese move

The Herald Scotland

11-08-2025

Will the gifted midfielder be snapped up by Celtic or Rangers? Might he decide to go to a club in England? Could he follow the path taken by several of his compatriots in the last few seasons and go further afield to Europe? There has been much conjecture during the summer.
It has, however, now emerged that Udinese in Italy are set to land the two-times capped 18-year-old after having a £4.5m offer accepted.
He sat out the William Hill Premiership game against St Mirren at the SMiSA Stadium in Paisley on Saturday because, his manager Jens Berthel Askou revealed at his post-match press conference, there were 'things going on in the background'.
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Miller was pictured with his family at Glasgow Airport yesterday before boarding a flight to Rome. All being well with his medical, his transfer will finally be completed in the coming days.
So how have the Serie A outfit managed to beat off stiff competition from domestic rivals Bologna, Como, Fiorentina and Torino as well as interested parties from down south to secure the services of the brightest prospect to emerge from this country in years? Perhaps more importantly, has the Motherwell skipper made the correct decision for his future?
The amount of money which Udinese are prepared to pay for the player is unquestionably a major factor in the transaction. But the youngster, whose former footballer father Lee has been a source of invaluable advice during his career to date, has also had a major say in the switch.
So what was the attraction behind becoming one of 'The Little Zebras'? Why does he feel the Stadio Friuli is the best place for him to sharpen his skills and mature further both physically and mentally? What made him reject the advances of better known, more successful, better supported and wealthier suitors?
James Richardson, the presenter of the iconic Channel 4 show Football Italia who is now the host of the Totally Football Show podcast, can fully understand why he has made his choice and believes it is a wise one.
(Image: Craig Williamson - SNS Group) 'Udinese have brought through a huge number of great players over the years,' he said. 'Fabio Quagliarella was successful there after some difficult times elsewhere. Antonio Di Natale was a legend there. And Alexis Sanchez emerged during his first spell there before being sold to Barcelona.
'They are owned by Giampaolo Pozzo, the former Watford owner whose son Gino is now in charge at Vicarage Road, which has some good points and some bad points. But they have certainly been quite forward thinking about how they scout and develop players for some time. They bring in players with potential, improve them and sell them for more money than they paid.
'It's been a while since they've been particularly successful. Just hanging in Serie A has been what they've been up to for the last decade or so. They have flirted with relegation on occasion. But they've kind of always finished bottom half of the table, have always just survived.
'That said, there's a pretty positive vibe about them under their German manager, Kosta Runjic. Their pre-season results have certainly been really good (they have beaten Dutch team Twente and German side Werder Bremen) for what that's worth. They've been looking pretty decent.'
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Richardson envisages that moving from Motherwell in Scotland to Udine in Italy will not be as much of a shock to the system for the teenager as it would be if he had joined a club in Milan, Naples, Rome or Turin.
'Hopefully, Lennon doesn't mind going to a very quiet town in the north-east corner of Italy,' he said. 'Udine is about 30 miles from the Slovenian border, only just inside Italy. It's not a big place, it only has a population of about 200,000 or so. There is quite a big army barracks. But it's a very quiet, very sober place.
'It is in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a region of Italy that is regarded as having the most serious people in Italy. It's not a lively place. But plenty of people have lived there and enjoyed it. The Brazilian great Zico, of course, was there in the 1980s and enjoyed his stay there greatly.
'It's a good place to concentrate on your football, without doubt. It's not as crazy as some of the larger Italian towns or cities. You don't need me to tell you that moving to Serie A has been excellent for Scottish players of late. I think Udinese could be a good move for Lennon Miller as well.
'They have played some pretty progressive football of late. The general impression of them in Italy is that they're a team who, while they haven't exactly lit up the championship of late, are heading in the right kind of direction. It is definitely an interesting move for him.
'Udinese is one of those Italian club which just bubbles away there without ever getting relegated but without challenging for a European place. The last time they qualified for a continental competition was when Francesco Guidolin was there manager back in 2013.
'Although the squad isn't especially star-studded, there does seem to be a big feeling that Runjaic is going to be able to do something good there this year. They did pretty well last year, given the paucity of their squad.'
(Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group) Richardson, who became synonymous with the Italian game during his time as the Gazzetta Football Italia anchor man back in the 1990s, feels that German coach Runjaic will need to make more acquisitions before the Serie A season gets underway later this month to achieve his heady ambitions.
'The big problem Udinese had last year was a lack of goals,' he said. 'There's a bit of a concern because they've now sold their top scorer Lorenzo Lucca to Napoli. But even he only scored 14 goals for them in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign. It could turn out to be quite a tough season if they don't replace him.
'But there definitely seems to be a certain amount of optimism about them. People are talking up Keinan Davis, another British player, just now. They are saying the forward, a former Aston Villa player, could potentially be one of the surprises of the new season. He has done well up front for them in pre-season. He has been there for two seasons now, but he has hardly featured because of injuries.
'Florian Thauvin, the French winger who was their captain last season, has moved to Lens in his homeland. So they have lost one of their most creative players. But they have been linked with Nicolo Zaniolo, who was a top young Serie A player when he was with Roma, in recent weeks.
'He has had a couple of ACL injuries, has made some bad decisions and has gone completely off the rails. There is a chance he may come in. A lot of people in Italy are hopeful he can rediscover his form of old. It would be interesting seeing how he played with Miller alongside him.'
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Italian businessman Pozzo has owned Udinese since 1986 and has dealt with betting scandals, match-fixing controversies and relegations during his lengthy tenure – but he appears poised to sell a majority shareholding to overseas investors after nearly 40 years at the helm.
'It certainly wouldn't be out of keeping with the rest of Serie A if he does,' said Richardson. 'North American investors are now pretty much in charge of half of the Italian clubs.
'Generally speaking, Pozzo is regarded as a good owner. They may have a slightly different view at Watford, but, during his reign, they have been forward-thinking in the managers they have attracted, the players they have scouted, the football they have tried to play. They have improved the stadium as well.
'All that said, the bar is maybe set a little bit lower there than it is in other places. There will not be a great expectation on Lennon Miller to deliver success. That will perhaps allow him to settle in Italy and improve and develop at his own rate.'