Chelsea have undergone a huge midfield rebuild in recent years, phasing out the old guard of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, and Jorginho.
Under Thomas Tuchel, that midfield configuration won the Champions League in 2021. However, as all three were ageing, the Blues knew that a rebuild in that area of the pitch was looming.
This has led to a huge spending spree on that area of the pitch, acquiring Moises Caicedo, Roméo Lavia, and Enzo Fernández for a combined total of €299.10m (just over £250m).
Fernandez made 40 appearances for the Londoners last season, scoring seven goals and providing three assists, Moises Caicedo made 48 appearances, scoring once and supplying four assists, whilst Lavia only managed one appearance, due to injury struggles.
One of those who was phased out by Todd Boehly to accommodate these new faces was Scot, Billy Gilmour.
The first impressions of Billy Gilmour
Chelsea signed Gilmour back in 2017 from Rangers, buying the 15-year-old at the time for around £500,000. The midfielder quickly became prominent in the Chelsea youth ranks, making 79 appearances for the U18, U19, and U21 teams.
Gilmour earned his senior call up under Frank Lampard, appearing in pre-season for the Blues in 2019, before making his Premier League debut in August 2019, and starting his first game for Chelsea, in the EFL Cup against Grimsby in September.
Another Chelsea academy graduate, Patrick van Aanholt, praised Gilmour calling him “basically N’Golo Kante” in a performance for Scotland, and maybe Chelsea missed a trick by selling him for such a small fee, even if they did rake in a huge profit, with the former academy man joining Brighton for just £9m in 2022.
Billy Gilmour's stats since leaving Chelsea
The young Scot made 60 appearances for Brighton, quickly establishing himself as a key player for Roberto De Zerbi after Graham Potter left to take over Chelsea, weeks after Gilmour’s arrival. The midfielder even stated it’s “amazing” to play for De Zerbi, saying his tough love spurred him on to perform better.
Gilmour made 41 appearances for Brighton in the 2023/24 campaign in all competitions, providing two assists, and contributing to nine clean sheets in his 2,926 minutes played.
Goals + Assists
0.06
0.29
0.11
Progressive Carries
1.62
2.12
0.85
Progressive Passes
7.68
8.57
5.44
Shots Total
0.96
1.90
0.44
Passes Attempted
84.2
76.0
66.6
Pass Completion %
90.8%
84.5%
90.0%
Key Passes
0.83
1.31
0.72
Passes into Final Third
7.09
7.22
5.53
Tackles
1.03
2.04
2.86
Interceptions
0.52
0.73
1.10
Comparing Gilmour to Chelsea’s midfielders last season shows how closely he actually ranks in many metrics. Firstly, Gilmour averaged the most pass attempts per 90, with 84.2, compared to Fernandez’s 76.0 per 90, and Caicedo’s 66.6 per 90.
He also averages the highest pass completion rate, with these passing stats showing his comfortable he is on the ball, and a willingness to control the game with high pass volume and touches.
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The Scotland international does rank lowest in defensive metrics. However, being only 5 foot 7, his athleticism and power aren’t a key component of his game, and usually this would be provided by a midfield partner, in order to strike balance.
Gilmour’s impressive Brighton spell has earned him a move to Napoli, joining them this summer for an initial fee of £12m, with add-ons worth a potential further £4m.
The 23-year-old is yet to enter his prime years, and could still end up being a huge mistake for Chelsea, letting the talented midfielder go for so cheap.
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