GARY Rowett says recruiting “flexible, tactically astute” players rather than ones that are suited to just one position is one of the main priorities this pre-season.
Millwall have a number of players who can play in different roles. Mahlon Romeo has featured for the majority of his career at right-back or right wing-back but played centre-back towards the end of the season.
Ryan Leonard has played in the centre of defence, right wing-back and midfield. George Evans can play in a back three or in the middle of the park and Murray Wallace is also comfortable anywhere in the centre or on the left side of the defence in a back four or five.
Further forward, Jed Wallace and Mason Bennett excelled in the second half of the season as a strike partnership.
Millwall want another defender and have also bid for Sheffield Wednesday’s Josh Windass who can play as an attacking midfielder or up front.
The Lions will alternate between three, four and five at the back next season and are scouting players who can perform well in different positions.
“We’re not specifically looking at certain positions and being really black and white with it. We’re quite fluid,” Rowett said.
“Again, depending on where we see Ryan Leonard, depending on what’s available in the market, those things determine where we move, really.
“It’s probably quite hard to say, ‘we want that position and we want that player to be exactly this’. Because the market doesn’t work like that and I don’t really think like that.
“What I want is flexible players that are good enough footballers and mobile enough and tactically astute enough to be able to play in different positions.
“So then we have a real flexibility to our squad. That’s probably more important than the exact position that we want.”
Meanwhile, potential first-team prospects next season Hayden Muller and Isaac Olaofe signed new deals last week, along with back-up goalkeepers Ryan Sandford and Joe Wright and under-23 defender Besart Topalloj.
“Hayden’s a player we really rate highly, I believe he will be a first-team player for us in the future, a regular,” Rowett said.
“How quickly that happens will be down to his progress. We want to tie him down, work with him and this year’s going to be how he comes back and whether there’s a loan opportunity. Or whether we see him featuring straightaway.
“There are all those questions. Developing young players takes a bit of time.
“Isaac is another we see as a first-team player but whether that’s this season or whether he needs to go out on loan into the League and build on what he did last year with Sutton, that’s a little bit debatable.
“I really like Tanto, he’s a really humble lad and he’s keen to try and break into our first team. That’s what you want.”
Image: Millwall FC