Millwall could tap into loan market in January – as boss Rowett admits it is harder to bring in quality on permanent basis in that window
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk
Millwall look set to tap into the loan market in the January transfer window – with manager Gary Rowett admitting it is more tricky to land sought-after players on a permanent basis midway through a season.
The Lions boss will have his first chance to reshape the structure of his squad when clubs can trade at the start of 2020.
Millwall already have three loanees – Bartosz Bialkowski, Luke Steele and Jayson Molumby.
Steele could head back to Nottingham Forest if Frank Fielding – out since the opening day of the season with a quad injury – is back to full fitness.
The Lions signed centre-back Alex Pearce on loan from Derby in the 2019 winter transfer window along with a second temporary spell for Ben Marshall, who badly struggled for form.
Rowett said: “It’s harder to bring players in permanently – just because if you have got a player who is going to effect your team then realistically most teams are not going to want to sell that player unless it is at a premium.
“Realistically we’re not going to pay a premium to sign players.
“We’ll be trying to sign players who perhaps have not been in their teams or have lost their way a little bit in terms of form, who we feel we can rejuvenate. Find a way to fit our style of play, get them back to where they were previously.
“It is a difficult window, but I don’t think it is that much more of a challenge.
“At the top end of the game it’s very difficult to sign players in January for good value.”
Rowett has given no indications yet of positions he will look to boost in the next window.
Millwall twice broke their transfer record in the 2018-19 season – both in the summer window – as they signed Tom Bradshaw and Ryan Leonard from Barnsley and Sheffield United respectively.
“There is no real budget set or no real amount of money available,” said Rowett, who was appointed as Neil Harris’ successor at the end of October.
“It’s more a case if we feel we need a certain player – and we feel there is a player out there who can give us what we want – then it’s up to me to put it to the owner and say: ‘Can we do this?’
“We’re going to need to bring one or two bodies in, ideally.
“But let’s hope by then we’ve got a few of the injuries back. If we’re playing well and in a healthy position in the league it might mitigate the need to do too much.
“It’s better to do it in the summer, from a squad perspective. I’ve brought players in during January at other clubs and it’s probably taken six weeks to bed them into the group and your season is nearly over. That’s more of a challenge than to find players out there.”
