SCOTTISH clubs can often struggle to attract offers for their players for a decent valuation.
Youngsters are regularly snapped up early by English clubs, with valuable players tending to see out their contracts and leave for free or be secured for a fraction of their perceived worth.
Some fans have called for the 18-year-old to play for the national team, just like Rangers youngster Connor Barron[/caption]
Motherwell’s Lennon Miller has attracted interest from all over Europe[/caption]
Calvin Ramsay and Bojan Miovski both recently left Aberdeen for upwards of £6.5m, and Celtic have had big paydays recently thanks to the likes of Jota and Matt O’Riley.
But with the non-Old Firm record sale being Craig Gordon‘s £9m switch from Hearts to Sunderland in 2007, it’s clear Scottish teams generally struggle to bag the tens of millions that teams in England and other major leagues do.
Possibly the nation’s hottest young commodity at the moment is Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller.
He’s been in and out with injury, but when he has been able to play the talent he has is clear for all to see, with many fans believing he is long deserving of a senior Scotland call up.
His performances have attracted interest from all over, with it being reported in the most recent window that huge bids were rejected from Celtic, Udinese, and Union Saint-Gilloise.
It is also believed there was interest from Rangers and Southampton, but the Well’s chairman made it clear they wanted to keep and develop him for longer.
With the teenager contracted until 2026, the club are holding out to obliterate their previous record of £3m for David Turnbull to Celtic if they are to sell him.
Hearts legend Michael Stewart has said he believes the Fir Park side would be lucky to scrape £5m for the starlet despite being worth triple that.
With over 60 appearances for the Steelmen at just 18 years old, the Premier Sports pundit says the perception of Scottish football means the club are at a disadvantage in negotiating.
Speaking on the Scottish Football Social Club podcast, he argued: “I think the sell-on clause is an absolute guaranteed stick on, they’ll get that. I’m not sure they’ll get £5-6m unfortunately.
“I think it will be slightly lower but with a big sell-on. I think it will be around that (£4m) figure with a big sell-on clause.
“Look, we can argue and debate about this all day long – his value is whatever anyone is willing to pay.
“But we look at it objectively, Lennon Miller – his age, profile, all that sort of thing – there’s no question in my mind that he is comparative with players down south that will go for £14-15m, seriously!
“But it’s like a housing market. You take a cracking house that is not on the most attractive street, there’s a ceiling price.
“Move it on to a different street, it’s the same house but on a different street, all of a sudden it’s through the roof.
“That’s what happens with Scottish football unfortunately. There’s a ceiling that people are not willing to go beyond at times.”
Fellow pundit and Rangers legend Alan Hutton disagreed, believing his potential should attract upwards of £5m.
Miller has made five appearances for Scotland U21s, winning just one of those games.
But he’s earned comparisons to Rangers‘ Connor Barron who has had senior national team opportunities, or Luke McCowan who has shone for Celtic and Dundee and has earned shouts for a call up.
The development and potential sale of the young talent will now be dictated by a new manager, as Michael Wimmer recently replaced Stuart Kettlewell at Fir Park after he stepped down.
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