The arrival of two Scotland internationals dominated the Serie A headlines last summer, as Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour joined Antonio Conte’s revolution at Napoli from Manchester United and Brighton respectively.

Compared to his compatriots, Che Adams’ move to Torino unfolded to relatively little fanfare. There was no hyperbolic announcement – the unveiling video was filmed in one of Turin’s Irish bars – nor a significant transfer fee accompanying the 28-year-old on the banks of the River Po.

If anything, Adams’ arrival on a free transfer did little to dispel fans’ anger towards club owner Urbano Cairo, whom they have long accused of running Torino on a budget.

Six months later, the Scotland international has written his name in the Granata‘s history books by equalling Denis Law’s tally of 10 goals for the club with his opener in the 2-0 win over Udinese on Wednesday night.

The late Manchester United legend hit double figures in the 1961-62 season, his solitary campaign in Serie A before he returned to England after miraculously escaping a serious car crash unscathed.

Law, who arrived in Turin from Manchester City for £110,000, then a record fee for a British player, was named Serie A’s best foreign player in his only season in the Peninsula and remains a cult hero among the Granata.

Up until last season, Law’s tally of 10 goals was the high watermark for a Scot in Serie A, a record which has since been bettered by Lewis Ferguson, who has scored 14 goals in three seasons in Italy’s top tier.

The Bologna captain had a significant role to play in convincing Adams to move to Italy.

“Che gave me a call one day and asked about the league, the country, the lifestyle and everything,” Ferguson told Destination Calcio last month.

“I spoke about my experience and how it’s been positive. I passed that on and it looks like they [Adams, McTominay and Gilmour] took it on board.”

Back in September, Adams admitted leaving England behind proved difficult, both logistically and emotionally, but, like Ferguson, he wanted to broaden his horizons.

“It’s wanting to expand my experience, to learn about myself, learn about the different way of life and the football side as well,” he told BBC Sport.

“To only have played in England or to play for one club – some people obviously want that in terms of security and stability – but I came up the non-league way, and I’ve always fought my way in and had a different experience.”

With nine league goals to his name – his other strike came in a defeat by Empoli in the second round of the Coppa Italia – Adams is the second-most prolific Scot in Serie A this season behind McTominay, who has 10. The two could add to their tally when Scudetto-chasing Napoli host 10th-placed Torino on Sunday night in a potentially crucial clash for their title hopes.

More importantly, Adams has already equalled his best return in any top flight – with Southampton in the 2020-21 season.

The Leicester-born striker spent five seasons at St. Mary’s, scoring 48 goals in 191 matches in all competitions and firing the Saints back into the Premier League last term with 15 goals in 40 appearances in the Championship.

And how Southampton could have done with Adams’ goals this season. Relegated with seven games to spare, the Saints are on course to become the worst team in Premier League history from a statistical standpoint, with just 11 points and 24 goals in 33 games.

Profligacy in front of goal had hampered Torino last season under Ivan Juric, who incidentally replaced Russell Martin at Southampton in December before leaving earlier this month, and Adams arrived in Piedmont to bolster the attacking options at Paolo Vanoli’s disposal.

The Scotland international hit the ground running on his debut, scoring the winner on his home debut as the Granata came back from a goal down to beat Atalanta 2-1. Two more goals followed in the next five weeks, both coming in games which Adams had started on the bench, as Torino climbed into the top four in Serie A.

But Duvan Zapata’s ACL injury at the beginning of October looked to have been a sliding doors moment for the Granata. Without their captain, who had scored three times in the first seven games of the season, Vanoli’s men lost six of their next nine fixtures, winning just once.

In his new role as starting No 9, Adams embodied his team’s struggles as he went over two months without scoring, before eventually ending Torino’s slide with a stunning finish in a 1-0 win away at Empoli in December.

The Scot has added five more since, with Torino losing just twice in 17 matches. So what has changed?

“I think we just have keep doing what we’re doing,” Adams told Serie A’s YouTube channel last week.

“We have to keep believing in everything that we’re doing and just trusting each other because we know we have a good team here that can beat anyone on the day.

“It’s just a matter of believing and putting things right in the pitch.”

In his first season under the Mole Antonelliana, Adams has certainly done that.