FROM an A+ start to the transfer window you would perhaps have marked Millwall’s overall business a B by the end of it.
Millwall acted decisively early on, after letting go Frank Fielding, Shaun Williams and Shane Ferguson.
The Lions upgraded in each of those positions, signing George Long, George Saville (above) and Scott Malone – albeit turning the latter’s loan into a permanent deal – with the added benefit of also lowering the average age of the squad.
Benik Afobe arrived on loan from Stoke City after the disappointment of Kenneth Zohore’s temporary spell at The Den. After five games, Afobe has scored two goals – just one off Zohore’s total in 19 games last season.
Millwall’s search for a defender landed on the promising 21-year-old Daniel Ballard from Arsenal. Some Gunners fans have even wondered if they should have kept the Northern Ireland international, after their disastrous, zero-point, zero-goal, minus-nine goal difference start to the season.
Last Tuesday night, Sheyi Ojo became the sixth signing of the window after joining on loan from Liverpool. He has played under Jurgen Klopp and earned praise from former Lions boss Neil Harris and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard. He certainly has the talent to make a big impact for Millwall this season.
Jed Wallace has also stayed, though there was never a suggestion he wanted to or would leave in this window.
And yet…
In an ideal world Millwall would have got Jon Dadi Bodvarsson off their books and recruited another young striker.
Rowett admires 18-year-old Manchester City forward Liam Delap but needed Bodvarsson off the wage bill first to have a chance of signing a player who was in demand in this window.
Looking around the squad, it’s possible to identify other areas where things could become stretched.
Some supporters may have been surprised that Mahlon Romeo was allowed to leave. With Danny McNamara out for another month or so Millwall don’t have a natural right wing-back.
But it had felt an uneasy alliance between Romeo and the club recently, not least as he had been left out of three match-day squads in the league this season. The Lions will have to make do with Billy Mitchell or Ryan Leonard in that position until McNamara returns.
Millwall don’t have a like-for-like replacement if Malone is absent for any reason. Murray Wallace did score twice against Cambridge United from left wing-back, but he naturally plays a deeper role.
Millwall wanted to add a central creative attacker, but again needed players out the door first, Ben Thompson or Tom Bradshaw the most likely candidates.
Millwall currently have 23 senior first-team players, about the number they aimed for, but without that depth in some areas.
In pre-Covid times, before the major hit of lost gate income, there would have been more clubs with more cash and so more opportunities for Millwall to offload some of those players mentioned.
There were relatively few transfers of players to Championship clubs involving fees. It was a frees and loans market and Millwall have done well in it and certainly improved their first team from last season.
They just can’t afford more injuries, and hope to have McNamara, Shaun Hutchinson and Mason Bennett available soon.
Rowett and head of recruitment Harvey Bussell have already started planning for January. The trickiest bit will again arguably be moving on players, especially if they are not getting the match minutes that might alert other sides.
It remains to be seen but it is hoped that Ojo can have that impact in attack, with his pace and ability on the ball, that Millwall haven’t had enough of since Rowett took over in October 2019 as they have mostly relied on Jed Wallace. Bennett has also showed those qualities but needs to stay fit.
The report card on their summer window is largely positive – it’s now just fingers crossed they won’t be exposed in key positions.
Image: Millwall FC