Scott McTominay, Napoli's Scottish midfielder, enters the new managerial era as one of the few players whose place in the project is not in question. With Massimiliano Allegri confirmed as the club's new head coach following Antonio Conte's departure, and contracts expiring for both Eljif Elmas and Juan Jesus, the squad around McTominay is being reshaped — but the 29-year-old himself represents continuity in a club that currently has very little of it.
The significance of that stability is hard to overstate. Napoli finished the 2025-26 Serie A season second, accumulating 73 points across 37 matches — a record built on defensive solidity as much as attacking output. McTominay contributed directly to that effort: ten goals and three assists across 32 league appearances, with an average rating of 7.10. Those numbers place him among the more productive central midfielders in the division, and they explain why, amid a summer of departures, his name is conspicuously absent from the exit list.
The departures of Elmas and Juan Jesus are not cosmetic. They remove experience and squad depth at a moment when Allegri — who resolved his contract with AC Milan before signing with Napoli — is still assembling his staff and establishing his tactical identity. Allegri's systems have historically demanded disciplined, high-volume midfielders who can function in both phases. McTominay's profile fits that template: he covers ground, contributes in the final third, and has demonstrated the consistency to sustain a rating above seven across a long campaign.
What Allegri will ask of him specifically is not yet clear, and any claim about tactical deployment would be speculation. What the data does confirm is that McTominay's output this season — ten goals from midfield — is the kind of return that earns a player leverage in any managerial transition. New coaches inherit problems; they also inherit assets. McTominay is firmly in the second category.
The club is also monitoring the market. Napoli have been linked to Emmanuel Ekhator, the young Italian forward currently at Genoa, which suggests De Laurentiis's side are looking to add attacking options rather than shed them. That orientation — building forward rather than stripping back — is consistent with a club that finished second and will want to close the gap at the top next season.
McTominay heads into pre-season not as a player fighting for his position, but as one of the reference points Allegri will build around. Ten goals, three assists, and 32 appearances do not require defending. They require building upon.