MILLWALL are still considering contract offers to key players after confirming a number of new deals last week.
The Lions agreed contracts with youngsters Danny McNamara and Tyler Burey, as well as defender Murray Wallace.
Thirty-somethings Alex Pearce – the club captain – Shaun Williams and Matt Smith see their terms run out in the summer.
But Millwall don’t want to rush into committing funds to new deals, especially as there is no indication of when fans can return to supply match-day income.
Pearce, Williams and Smith are major figures in the dressing room, and in an ideal world Millwall would secure them for another season.
Millwall manager Gary Rowett is a huge admirer of the three players, but laid out why it’s not straightforward to agree deals with them.
“It’s like any of the players that are out of contract at the end of the year: what do we need to improve next year; what do we need to add to the squad?,” Rowett said.
“Any of those guys adds great value. The likes of Pearcey and Smudge wouldn’t have played as much as they would have liked but they add incredible value day-to-day within the group.
“And of course for any team there are different ways of winning games. You win games from the start, from impacts off the bench, from different formations.
“Both of those players have proven over time they can do that. I certainly don’t just see Matt as an impact sub, but every manager has their own philosophy of what they want to do.
“Matt is the perfect thing that he proves time and time again that he wants to get on the pitch and make a difference, whether that’s from the start or whether that’s off the bench.
“That’s all he can do, and the rest is what I think is the right thing to do as a manager to win games of football.”
Rowett has a tough decision to make on Smith, who is out of contrast this summer.
Rowett added: “I’m always going to be judged on that regardless of who plays and who starts. He’s a great guy and he’s really popular with the lads, and I think as the season develops obviously we need to make big calls on what we do and how we see next season.
“At the moment, without crowds, there are so many things up in there air, there are so many variables. I don’t know my budget next year without crowds.
“It’s so difficult to make every decision early. It’s just one of those difficult seasons.”
Image: Millwall FC