MILLWALL will wait to discover the extent of Frank Fielding’s injury before deciding whether to add to their squad – and could also go into the market in a different position if the right player is available.
Lions boss Neil Harris said last week he was happy with his squad after eight summer signings, but the club have until Thursday to add further depth.
There could also be more outgoings, thought the deadline for loans to League One and below is not until September 3. Tom Elliott saw a move to Ipswich fall through last week but he could still depart.
Fielding was injured in Millwall’s opening game of the season against Preston. He went off in the 43rd minute with Bartosz Bialkowski coming on. Millwall only have Ryan Sandford as back-up if Fielding is out, but he hasn’t made a competitive senior appearance.
Harris hasn’t ruled out more movement on the transfer front this week.
“What I said at the Fans Forum the other night was that I’m happy with the group we’ve got,” Harris said. “If something [changes] then we have to act. We’ll have to see how Frankie is and get a clearer picture is he going to be out for a week or longer term.
“Once we’ve got that we can make an assessment.
“But with goalkeepers it’s different, you can sign goalkeepers after the window shuts because a goalkeeper has to have started five senior games to be classed as a first-team player.
“Other than that, a player to go out, possibly. Obviously the loan window stays open until September 3 for the lower leagues.
“If something comes up that we want to do or feel the need to do then we will do before Thursday. I’m so pleased with the players that we’ve brought in and the changes we’ve made. I’m quite content.”
Harris said near the end of last season he would overhaul his squad after a difficult campaign with off-field problems.
“I’m not too worried about last season, that’s been and gone,” he continued. “It’s a new era with a new group of players, and the experience of players that have been here for a period is vital.
“You can’t just get 20 out and 20 in. I wanted to retain the players that showed qualities last year that I liked working with and I brought characters in that have got different sorts of qualities. Some are natural talkers and leaders like Alex Pearce, some just go about their business like good pros.
“The key for our success this year is training standards; standards on and off the pitch and players wanting to develop to be better.
“And you need your little bit of luck. We lost Frankie [Saturday], you need your luck with injuries, illness and suspensions, but it’s a good start for us.”
Image: Millwall FC