MILLWALL boss Neil Harris has a “specific” type of striker in mind as he looks to add to his frontline options.
With John Marquis signing a new deal, and Aiden O’Brien expected to follow, Harris wants a fourth striker to add to that pair and last season’s top scorer Lee Gregory.
There have been reports this week of a bid for striker James Hanson, who scored 11 goals last season as Bradford City missed out on the Sky Bet League One playoffs by one place.
The six-foot-four inch target man has scored 62 league goals in his six seasons at Valley Parade.
The rumoured pursuit of Hanson indicates Harris is looking for an experienced target man to complement his current attack.
Lions chief executive Andy Ambler says the club are active with regard to five or six targets.
But any potential loan deal from the Premier League is unlikely to follow the same policy as last season when Ian Holloway brought in Jos Hooiveld and Gary Taylor-Fletcher, both in their 30s.
He cited Harry Kane, who scored nine goals in 27 games on loan at Millwall from Spurs in 2012, as an example of the profile they might look at.
“The squad is coming together with a balance of youth and experience and it’s quite exciting really,” Ambler said.
“A loan from the Premier League would be more likely to be a Harry Kane type, like we’ve had before. We’ve had Kane, (Andros) Townsend and (Ryan) Mason.
“The links we have with Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea are important. I think clubs of our size use them very well.
“But, fundamentally, we want our own youth to flourish before somebody else’s. I recognise and Neil recognises that the links with those clubs are important because there could be a season-long loan that could benefit both.
“We wouldn’t be looking for older loan players from the Premier League. Yes, we want experience, but it must blend with our youth. We want players who are committed and hungry.
“Neil has a specific type in mind but not always at this time of year do you get the right person. Sometimes you have to wait for players to come back from their breaks, managers change.
“Managers come into clubs and say, ‘I don’t fancy him,’ so players become available that weren’t available before.
“It’s an ongoing process that keeps changing on a daily basis.”