Pat Nevin believes Billy Gilmour belongs on the big stage and could easily be playing his football at a Champions League club.
The Scotland midfielder has been one of Brighton's key men during their impressive campaign under new manager Fabian Hurzeler, living up to the potential that was clear when he came through at Chelsea.
Speaking to BetVictor, former Blues winger Nevin thinks Gilmour is proving what a good player he is and wouldn't look out of place playing for Arsenal or Manchester City.
He said: “I knew about Billy Gilmour before he joined Chelsea when he was at Rangers, but most people first remember his game against Liverpool where he dominated the match.
"I see a lot of him for Scotland and all the teams he’s played for and I believe that if you put him in the centre of midfield for Arsenal or Manchester City, he’d be just fine. He’s a good enough player to play there and it’d make sense.
“He’s got the technical ability to do huge things in football. He holds the ball as well as any other player.”
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Looking back on his time at Stamford Bridge, Nevin doesn't think Gilmour was given enough credit, but it's only a lack of goals that is stopping him from being a £100 million player.
“Billy was coming through at Chelsea when Jorginho was in the centre of midfield,” added Nevin.
"He’s a player who used to get a lot of stick from Chelsea fans and I used to tell people that he’d get into Manchester City’s midfield. People would argue that he didn’t score goals or do other parts of the game, but he was adored by those who understood his style. It was no surprise to me when he went to Arsenal, and I’d feel exactly the same about Billy.
“If the next move he gets is way up the ladder, I won’t be surprised. The only thing holding him back, and the only reason he’s not moving anywhere for £100 million, is because he doesn’t create and score goals. He is world class at all other parts of the game, but that extra bit is what stops him getting that move.
“We’ve seen lots of midfielders like that, Mateo Kovacic was another during his time at Chelsea, who are held back by their lack of goal contributions.
"Some players are also looked upon differently because they’ve moved around a bit. If he had stayed at one club which suited him well, then he’d have played week-in week-out for four or five years, and he’d be even better than he is.”
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