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Scotsman
03-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
'I noticed...': Scotland starlet reveals dream move as he addresses transfer links and Liverpool inspiration
The Scotland international has linked to a summer transfer, with several clubs rumoured to have interest in the defender. 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 full-back Max Johnston has revealed which club he dreams of playing for as he addressed his immediate future following strong rumours of transfer interest in him this summer. The 21-year-old defender has been in excellent form for Sturm Graz this year, winning his second successive Austrian Bundesliga title, and is said to have courted interest from Champions League outfit Atalanta, as well as Southampton, Augsburg and Hamburg, though reports says Die Schwoazn would be looking for a fee of £3million in order to allow him to leave. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The ex-Motherwell ace debuted for the Scotland senior team in the Nations League play-off clash first-leg win over Greece in March, with Steve Clarke handing him his international bow as a late substitute for Billy Gilmour in a 1-0 victory in Piraeus, though it was at Fir Park where the youngster first gained recognition, winning the SFWA Young Player of the Year after a breakout season in 2023. Opting to move to Sturm Graz that summer, the Austrian champions forked out a compensation fee of around £300,000 when the youngster rejected a new deal with Motherwell, signing a five-year deal at Merkur Arena. Two years on, Johnston believes the move has worked out perfectly. Scotland's Max Johnston and George Hirst pre-match during a UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A/B Play-Off Second Leg match between Scotland and Greece at Hampden Park. | SNS Group "To be honest, I think all the teams in the league try to push the young players and give them a platform to play and express themselves,' Johnston told Sky Sports. 'That is something that is really important, and it is a huge attraction as a young player to go over there. I noticed such an improvement in myself. Sturm Graz have really pushed me on areas I didn't think I needed work on but giving me the platform to get minutes on the pitch, and learning every minute by getting minutes on the pitch.' Linked to Queens Park Rangers, Stoke and Stade Reims last summer, the Scotland international played five times in the UEFA Champions League last season, and revealed which fellow right-back he is taking inspiration from as he continues his journey in European football, citing Liverpool's Real Madrid-bound defender Trent Alexander-Arnold as a player he hopes to emulate in the year's to come. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He's a huge player and someone I look up to,' said Johnston. 'To see that he can change his game, and adapt to different playing styles, is something I try to do myself.' Asked which club would he would be unable to turn down should they come calling this summer, Johnston admitted: 'it would be Real Madrid' before joking that he would first need to try and dislodge England full-back Alexander-Arnold.
Scotsman
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
'I noticed...': Scotland starlet reveals dream move as he addresses transfer links and Liverpool inspiration
The Scotland international has linked to a summer transfer, with several clubs rumoured to have interest in the defender. 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 full-back Max Johnston has revealed which club he dreams of playing for as he addressed his immediate future following strong rumours of transfer interest in him this summer. The 21-year-old defender has been in excellent form for Sturm Graz this year, winning his second successive Austrian Bundesliga title, and is said to have courted interest from Champions League outfit Atalanta, as well as Southampton, Augsburg and Hamburg, though reports says Die Schwoazn would be looking for a fee of £3million in order to allow him to leave. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The ex-Motherwell ace debuted for the Scotland senior team in the Nations League play-off clash first-leg win over Greece in March, with Steve Clarke handing him his international bow as a late substitute for Billy Gilmour in a 1-0 victory in Piraeus, though it was at Fir Park where the youngster first gained recognition, winning the SFWA Young Player of the Year after a breakout season in 2023. Opting to move to Sturm Graz that summer, the Austrian champions forked out a compensation fee of around £300,000 when the youngster rejected a new deal with Motherwell, signing a five-year deal at Merkur Arena. Two years on, Johnston believes the move has worked out perfectly. Scotland's Max Johnston and George Hirst pre-match during a UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A/B Play-Off Second Leg match between Scotland and Greece at Hampden Park. | SNS Group "To be honest, I think all the teams in the league try to push the young players and give them a platform to play and express themselves,' Johnston told Sky Sports. 'That is something that is really important, and it is a huge attraction as a young player to go over there. I noticed such an improvement in myself. Sturm Graz have really pushed me on areas I didn't think I needed work on but giving me the platform to get minutes on the pitch, and learning every minute by getting minutes on the pitch.' Linked to Queens Park Rangers, Stoke and Stade Reims last summer, the Scotland international played five times in the UEFA Champions League last season, and revealed which fellow right-back he is taking inspiration from as he continues his journey in European football, citing Liverpool's Real Madrid-bound defender Trent Alexander-Arnold as a player he hopes to emulate in the year's to come. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He's a huge player and someone I look up to,' said Johnston. 'To see that he can change his game, and adapt to different playing styles, is something I try to do myself.' Asked which club would he would be unable to turn down should they come calling this summer, Johnston admitted: 'it would be Real Madrid' before joking that he would first need to try and dislodge England full-back Alexander-Arnold.
The Herald Scotland
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland manager voices Lennon Miller hope as overseas move is mooted
The 18-year-old, who was last week named SFWA Young Player of the Year, has been tipped to follow his compatriots Che Adams, Josh Doig, Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour, Max Johnston, Scott McKenna and Scott McTominay to a club in a foreign country. Former St Mirren and Chelsea full-back Clarke is certain the youngster would, like so many of his players in the past few seasons, improve further if he moved to continental Europe. However, he just wants to see the uncapped kid continue to feature regularly in the seasons ahead. Read more: 'I'm not sure what Lennon's plans at,' he said. 'He spoke at the Scottish Football Writers' Association dinner on Sunday night when he picked up his award, which was well deserved, and he wasn't giving too much away. 'Listen, I'm sure they've got offers on the table. I hope that that he, his family and his agent make the right choice for the player, for Lennon. 'But I hope that he goes somewhere he's going to play, where he's going to get minutes and develop in a similar manner to someone like Lewis, for example, who went abroad at the right time and has developed into a really good player.' Asked if he could see Miller prospering like Ferguson has at Bologna if he was to go abroad, he said, 'Yeah, I could see that. But I can also see he's had a really good season for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership. He's shown he can play at that level as well. 'So whether he goes abroad, or whether he stays in this country, the most important thing for any young player is minutes on the pitch. And if he can get minutes on the pitch then he will improve. 'Lennon will know if he's ready to go abroad. And his family will know if they're prepared to let him move abroad. Maybe they'll think he's not ready and that will be a factor in the decision. But I think he's a pretty level-headed boy. He's pretty sensible so I'm sure he'll make the right decision.' (Image: Ewan Bootman - SNS Group) Clarke was delighted to see Ferguson captain Bologna to the Coppa Italia – their first major domestic trophy in 51 years – last week and is optimistic that Gilmour and McTominay can help Napoli to win Serie A on Friday night. He feels playing abroad has improved his charges as both footballers and people and believes his foreign legion enhance the Scotland squad when they meet up on international duty. 'They just bring a freshness,' he said. 'They learn different ideas and different tactics. Serie A is a very disciplined league. If you watch the games, and I've watched a lot of Serie A this year, it's very tactical. 'It's very demanding and there aren't too many mistakes. You aren't allowed to make big mistakes. Games tend not to be end to end. So the players work with different coaches with different mentalities and they come back with different ideas. Hopefully that will make us better in the future.' Read more: Napoli are one point ahead of Champions League finalists Inter Milan going into their final Serie A game at home to 14th placed Cagliari at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this Friday night. Clarke would love to see Gilmour and McTominay become the first Scottish players to become Italian league winners and feels it will help the national team in future if they do. 'I don't want to jinx them by talking about what might happen next weekend,' he said. 'But Scottish people are all of a sudden taking a great interest in Italian football. 'Scott and Billy are fighting for the Scudetto and Lewis has already got a bit of silverware and a nice medal around his neck. Hopefully the boys can finish it off next weekend. They will come into the camp in a really good mood if they do.' Clarke continued, 'We were obviously really disappointed for Lewis last season when he got such a serious injury. I watched him in the final the other night - and he tried his best to get another serious injury! But he is a warrior. He stuck a couple of plugs up his nose and got on with it. 'He has gone to Italy, his game has improved a lot, when we played away to Greece in March he was excellent in midfield. He is going to be a big part of the Scotland team going forward.'
Glasgow Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Scotland manager voices Lennon Miller hope as overseas move is mooted
Miller, who was yesterday named in the 25-man national squad for the friendly internationals against Iceland and Liechtenstein next month, is set to depart Fir Park in the coming weeks. The 18-year-old, who was last week named SFWA Young Player of the Year, has been tipped to follow his compatriots Che Adams, Josh Doig, Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour, Max Johnston, Scott McKenna and Scott McTominay to a club in a foreign country. Former St Mirren and Chelsea full-back Clarke is certain the youngster would, like so many of his players in the past few seasons, improve further if he moved to continental Europe. However, he just wants to see the uncapped kid continue to feature regularly in the seasons ahead. Read more: 'I'm not sure what Lennon's plans at,' he said. 'He spoke at the Scottish Football Writers' Association dinner on Sunday night when he picked up his award, which was well deserved, and he wasn't giving too much away. 'Listen, I'm sure they've got offers on the table. I hope that that he, his family and his agent make the right choice for the player, for Lennon. 'But I hope that he goes somewhere he's going to play, where he's going to get minutes and develop in a similar manner to someone like Lewis, for example, who went abroad at the right time and has developed into a really good player.' Asked if he could see Miller prospering like Ferguson has at Bologna if he was to go abroad, he said, 'Yeah, I could see that. But I can also see he's had a really good season for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership. He's shown he can play at that level as well. 'So whether he goes abroad, or whether he stays in this country, the most important thing for any young player is minutes on the pitch. And if he can get minutes on the pitch then he will improve. 'Lennon will know if he's ready to go abroad. And his family will know if they're prepared to let him move abroad. Maybe they'll think he's not ready and that will be a factor in the decision. But I think he's a pretty level-headed boy. He's pretty sensible so I'm sure he'll make the right decision.' (Image: Ewan Bootman - SNS Group) Clarke was delighted to see Ferguson captain Bologna to the Coppa Italia – their first major domestic trophy in 51 years – last week and is optimistic that Gilmour and McTominay can help Napoli to win Serie A on Friday night. He feels playing abroad has improved his charges as both footballers and people and believes his foreign legion enhance the Scotland squad when they meet up on international duty. 'They just bring a freshness,' he said. 'They learn different ideas and different tactics. Serie A is a very disciplined league. If you watch the games, and I've watched a lot of Serie A this year, it's very tactical. 'It's very demanding and there aren't too many mistakes. You aren't allowed to make big mistakes. Games tend not to be end to end. So the players work with different coaches with different mentalities and they come back with different ideas. Hopefully that will make us better in the future.' Read more: Napoli are one point ahead of Champions League finalists Inter Milan going into their final Serie A game at home to 14th placed Cagliari at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this Friday night. Clarke would love to see Gilmour and McTominay become the first Scottish players to become Italian league winners and feels it will help the national team in future if they do. 'I don't want to jinx them by talking about what might happen next weekend,' he said. 'But Scottish people are all of a sudden taking a great interest in Italian football. 'Scott and Billy are fighting for the Scudetto and Lewis has already got a bit of silverware and a nice medal around his neck. Hopefully the boys can finish it off next weekend. They will come into the camp in a really good mood if they do.' Clarke continued, 'We were obviously really disappointed for Lewis last season when he got such a serious injury. I watched him in the final the other night - and he tried his best to get another serious injury! But he is a warrior. He stuck a couple of plugs up his nose and got on with it. 'He has gone to Italy, his game has improved a lot, when we played away to Greece in March he was excellent in midfield. He is going to be a big part of the Scotland team going forward.'
Scotsman
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
In-demand Scotland international linked to Serie A giants as quartet eye up bargain £3m deal
The Scotland international is in serious demand ahead of the summer transfer window re-opening next month. 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... Serie A giants Atalanta are one of four clubs to have been credited with serious interest in highly-rated Scotland international full-back Max Johnston this summer, according to reports. The 21-year-old defender has been in impressive form this season for Austrian side Sturm Graz, bagging five assists from defence, and is on the verge of winning a second successive Bundesliga title. He form has caught the attention of the several sides on the continent, with a quartet of clubs now said to be considering a summer bid for Johnston. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The young starlet made his Scotland debut in the Nations League play-off clash first-leg win over Greece in March, with Steve Clarke handing him his international bow as a late substitute for Billy Gilmour in a 1-0 victory in Piraeus. However, it was at Motherwell where the youngster first rose to prominence, winning the SFWA Young Player of the Year after a breakout season at Fir Park in 2022/23. The young Scottish right-back has been tipped from return to the UK this summer and has reportedly been targeted by Stoke City, Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers in the EFL Championship. Sturm Graz sporting director Andres Schicker insists the Austrian club are determined to keep hold of the youngster though, saying Johnston is "not on the list" of players that they will allow to depart. | SNS Group Snapped up by Die Schwoazn that summer though, the Austrian side forked out a compensation fee of around £300,000 to Motherwell after the youngster failed to agree terms on a new deal with that would have kept him at Fir Park. He penned a five-year deal at Merkur Arena, where he has gone on to play regularly, including five of the club's eight Champions League games this term, Johnston's impressive first season in Austria resulted in him being linked with Queens Park Rangers, Stoke and Stade Reims last summer, with a season long-loan move mooted. Portuguese club SC Braga also showed strong interest in Johnston, with reports claiming they have been scouting him for months. However, Sturm Graz rejected all offers, insisting they preferred him to stay in Graz in order to continue his development.
