Ban served and game ready – Japhet Tanganga fired up for Millwall career to resume and talks Tottenham Hotspur exit

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Japhet Tanganga’s season can start in earnest tomorrow at Hull City’s MKM Stadium with the centre-back expected to come straight into Millwall’s team.

The 25-year-old has been forced to sit out the opening three matches of the 2024-25 campaign as he served a suspension for his dismissal at Swansea City in early May.

Tanganga’s return to Neil Harris’ squad would already have been welcome even without the Lions’ difficult start, which has seen them concede seven goals in their opening two Championship games.

Millwall showed patience and persistence to push through a deal for the former England U21 international in July.

Tanganga initially signed on loan for the South Londoners in the middle of January from Tottenham.

Then Spurs opted not to take up a 12-month contract extension and instead released the Hackney-born player this summer.

Tanganga was a hit at the Lions – particularly after Neil Harris’ return to replace Joe Edwards as head coach in February.

Not only did he provide defensive steel and stability but also a couple of crucial goals – the opener in a 2-1 win at Southampton to ensure a successful first game back in the Millwall dugout for Harris – and netted in the 1-0 victory over Birmingham in SE16.

Tanganga and Swans striker Jerry Yates both saw red on the final day of the previous campaign after clashing off the ball in South Wales.

“It’s hard but I’ve only got myself to blame for that situation,” said Tanganga, talking to the South London Press about his ban.

“It kind of worked for me because I came a bit later into Millwall’s pre-season, so I’ve been able to do extra sessions in training.

“It’s felt a long time but now it is all over – I’m ready to go. I was involved in all the pre-season games – except Southampton – and I played for the U23s against Burnley.”

Tanganga featured 50 times at senior level for Spurs, including featuring in European ties.

But even before he made the switch to Augsburg at the end of the last summer transfer window – a deal aborted at the start of 2024 after he did not play a single competitive minute for the Bundesliga club – he felt his Tottenham exit was inevitable.

“It got to that point for myself and my career that it felt like I needed to move on,” said Tanganga, pictured right.

“It didn’t go as well as I wanted in Germany but thankfully when I had the second part of the loan at Millwall it did go well. That cemented it for me, that I needed to get that regular game time somewhere else.

“There are things, when I look back on my time at Spurs, that I wish happened…but I don’t have any regrets.

“I look at myself and I had quite a few injuries. I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason and I’m a big believer in god. I felt that was a moment to teach me about my body and do the right things – to get my body into the best physical condition to play all those games.

“Unfortunately I had quite a few injuries and a lot of managerial changes – that is maybe why I didn’t play as much as I’d have liked to.

“I came from the academy at nine years old. So to get to the first team is an amazing achievement and something I’ll always cherish.

“I wanted more, but it’s all good.”

Tanganga picks out breaking into Tottenham’s senior squad in 2019 – and featuring in a friendly against Juventus in Singapore – as a highlight.

“They were short of centre-backs and I thought I was just going out there to help with numbers,” he said.

“Then I saw my name was on the teamsheet and I was playing against the likes of (Cristiano) Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and (Blaise) Matuidi – big players.”

Tanganga was handed his debut by Mauricio Pochettino in an EFL Cup tie at Colchester United. By the time he got his first minutes in the Premier League it was the legendary Jose Mourinho at the helm.

So are high-profile bosses in England’s elite division more aloof to players than Harris?

“It just depends on their characteristics and also the level of the team,” said Tanganga. “I don’t want anyone to shoot me for this, but I see the resemblance between Mourinho and the gaffer here – in how they manage people and it is their character which helps to galvanise the team.”

Tanganga had never been cast in the role of a free agent until his time at Spurs ended.

“Normally people say the more options than the better but it was quite tough because I had to think about a lot of things,” he said.

“Am I going to play? Am I going to fit in? Is this the right move for me? Do I need to move here and will this work for my family?

“What was really important was continuing that level of performances that I was putting in and the consistent amount of games I was playing, that was definitely one of the biggest factors.

“I was speaking to the manager and he was constantly letting me know what he thought and how he saw things going.

“My period at Spurs was tough in terms of injuries and not playing consistently. I felt any chance I had to do that, I had to take it. Millwall was the right step for me to take.

“Being appreciated is definitely a reason why you want to go to a team. I’m very thankful.”

The Lions cannot expect to put points on the board if they continue to be breached as frequently as they have been against Watford and Bristol City.

“What helped us have that run at the back end of last season was being defensively solid,” said Tanganga. “They are mistakes that we will iron out.

“You can do all that hard work in pre-season but then it doesn’t resemble a competitive match when there are points on the line. It can be about getting into a rhythm and the small details.

“I’m aiming high with the team, to finish higher than we did last season. The run we put together clearly shows we have the capabilities to do it.”