GARY ROWETT is adamant that Zian Flemming will remain a Millwall player after the January transfer window despite expected interest from higher-ranked clubs.
The Dutchman has already scored eight goals so far this season, a staggering achievement given that he missed the start of the campaign, and supporters are starting to take note of his impressive performances in the Championship.
With that comes a fear that Premier League outfits could be interested in signing Flemming this winter, especially if a significant bid is submitted to the Lions in the coming weeks.
However, when asked whether he was concerned about the possibility of his star man leaving The Den in the coming months, Rowett told NewsAtDen: “no, not at all”.
“Firstly, John [Berylson] is the owner and he can refuse whatever he wants to refuse,” he added.
“For us, Zian has done really, really well, but he’s only four or five months into Championship football. He’s got a long way to go to get to where he wants to be.
“Of course, he’s scored eight goals so far, so he’s always going to attract a bit of attention, just like we would if another player had scored eight goals in the division below or whatever.
“Things like that don’t really concern me too much, it’s not something I have to necessarily worry about.
“I’d like to be in a position where we have a lot of interest in a lot of our players because it means they are playing well and performing well, and other sides are recognising that.”
Millwall do, however, have the high ground with any negotiations given that Flemming is currently on a long-term contract that should keep him in South Bermondsey for the foreseeable future.
This is significant for the Lions, especially given the way in which Jed Wallace departed the club at the end of last season on a free transfer. Rowett is determined to keep the core of his squad together, but admits that work still needs to be done to achieve that.
“That’s the aim with any settled group, people who know they are here for a long time and can concentrate on their football without worrying about contract negotiations.
“I think that’s always your aim, and the majority of the squad are tied down for several years more. Therefore, that’s not as much of an issue.
“It’s still something we look at all the time, it’s like anything, but it’s not really my remit necessarily so I haven’t got to spent too much time thinking about some of those issues.”
Photo: Millwall FC