Millwall, since the formation of the competition, have never had a season in the Premier League, with their last appearance in the English top flight being in 1989. Despite this, the club has had a number of former players who have played in the league, including prolific goalscorers such as Harry Kane and Chris Wood, who both had notable loan periods at the club.
So far, the Lions current Championship season has had a handful of ups and downs. With runs of prolific form in October and November being disrupted by inconsistency in the months that have followed. This has led Millwall to be sat 14th in the Championship. As new manager Alex Neil still hunts for his first league win of his tenure, matters could be complicated with two players who could be close to joining Premier League clubs very soon.
Romain Esse
Romain Esse has by far been the standout player in the middling season for Millwall so far. The 19 year-old from Lambeth has looked many years his senior amongst the current squad of players at Millwall, predominantly being the creative outlet for the Lions on notable occasions this season. The forward has gotten five goals and one assist in 25 appearances for The Lions, most recently scoring a great strike in a 2-1 away loss to Norwich. His skills, positional awareness and play-style being compared to former Crystal Palace player Michael Olise.
It’s no surprise that Crystal Palace has been the club who has been most interested in the young player. Many reports have suggested that the Eagles are already extremely close to signing the player, having held interest in the player before he signed a new deal at Millwall last summer.
Although the Premier League would be a significant step-up for Esse, his confidence and maturity whilst playing in the Championship has shone. It would also be ideal for Esse to make a move to a club such as Palace, who haven’t yet managed to replace Olise with a similar profile of player. Additionally, a move to palace would see Esse link up with former academy teammate Eberechi Eze, who played for Millwall as a youth player. These two could suit each other effectively and cause some chaos in the Premier League.
Japhet Tanganga
Japhet Tanganga is a name that should be familiar to anyone who’s watched Tottenham Hotspur over the past five years. The 25-year-old centre-back had played infrequently for Spurs since his breakthrough from the clubs academy in 2019. Tanganga made 27 appearances in the Premier League for Spurs, as well as a number of appearances in European and cup competitions.
After an underwhelming zero appearance loan-spell at Bundesliga club Augsburg at the beginning of last season, Tanganga signed on loan for Millwall for the second-half of the season. Tanganga adapted to the physicality of the Championship well, and opted to sign a contract at The Den when his loan spell was completed. Tanganga has further impressed in many of his defensive displays this season.
Tanganga has always appeared to be a player cusping on Premier League quality, and his time at Millwall has illustrated this. In turn, this has led to interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the player. Although Millwall fans might feel his time at the club will have been short-lived, a move to Wolves could be the perfect transfer. As Wolves look to avoid relegation, opting for Tanganga could be a smart and cost-effective move for the club as Vítor Pereira’s side look to reinforce their defence.