MILLWALL boss Gary Rowett is out to find players that have been “overlooked” in the next transfer window – and this weekend’s opponents Brentford are the example of how it can be done.
The Lions manager wants a striker to provide goals, and the Bees have had big success in that regard in recent seasons.
Millwall don’t have a fortune to spend, but Brentford have shown you don’t necessarily need one.
The west London club signed Neal Maupay from the French second division and Ollie Watkins from League Two Exeter. Both went on to score 25 goals in a season in the Championship and both commanded fees of more than £20million when they were sold to Premier League Brighton and Aston Villa, respectively.
Rowett admitted it is more difficult to find that player that other clubs may have missed.
“It’s a lot harder because there are other clubs with far bigger recruitment departments than us, with far bigger scope and far bigger manpower,” Rowett said.
“So it makes it difficult for a club like us to find those players that others can’t.
“But I think what we always do is we look for that player who fits our system, who’s maybe underperformed last season, for various reasons.
“You take someone like Scottie Malone and Mason Bennett, for example, you bring them into the building, put them into the right environment, in the right type of team, and we’ve seen them flourish.
“I think that’s where we’re looking. We certainly can’t go out and spend vast amounts of money on players.
“But, equally, it’s our job to try to find those players, be competitive in trying to find them and see if we can get one or two that other teams have overlooked.
“That’s always the challenge and it’s a big challenge for a club like us.”
Rowett said last summer the club needed to take a risk in the transfer market, before they brought in Troy Parrott from Tottenham and Kenneth Zohore from West Brom.
Neither loan really worked out, but the Lions boss insisted they need to show similar ambition this summer.
“We have to, we have to,” he said. “If you look at every three or four that work you always get one or two that perhaps don’t quite go to plan.
“If you look at Troy he was a player that was highly regarded that just found that step-up a little bit tough.
“And then Ken Zohore just hasn’t been able to stay fit enough for long enough to be able to impact the team.
“You have to take a bit of a gamble. They are two players that clearly we couldn’t sign permanently so therefore you have to take a bit of a gamble, see if you can get them in a different way and see if they can perform.
“Some work, some don’t and for a club like us it can have a big impact on your season.
“The recruitment side is something we want to try and get right in the summer – so let’s see if we can.”
Image: Millwall FC