Millwall boss expresses disappointment with cross-border rules following Zak Lovelace’s Rangers move

Gary Rowett has expressed his disappointment after Zak Lovelace opted to join Rangers, writes Richard Cawley.

The Lions boss handed the striker, then 15, his debut in January in their Championship win at Coventry City.

Lovelace, who attended Kingsdale Foundation in West Dulwich, is their second youngest debutant after Moses Ashikodi.

The Lions had tried to convince the Streatham-raised forward to pen a professional deal with them.

But instead Lovelace, who went on to make late cameos in three other league matches, has joined the Glasgow outfit’s B team.

The decision to move away from England also leaves Millwall with little in the way of compensation.

“People make decisions for reasons only they know,” said Rowett.

“My opinion is that if you’re at a Championship club that value you so highly that they are prepared to put you on the bench – because they trust you, think you’re a good player and work on a plan to get you into the first-team this very season – it seems strange you take what looks a backward step for the next 18 months to two years.

“Rangers are a massive club. It’s not for me to judge why someone wants to join a club.

“I am disappointed with that one. I don’t have any grudges. It’s a disappointing system where you can work so hard with a player in the academy for so many years – put so much time and effort in – and it’s far easier to take a player from an English club to Scotland, and vice versa.

“Probably that needs to be looked at so the rules apply the same whether you are a Premier League club or an SPL club. Otherwise big clubs from each division are going to be pinching kids from cross border all the time. I don’t blame Rangers for doing that, or any other of the English clubs because they are seizing the opportunity. I don’t think it is healthy for academies, that’s what I would say.”

Millwall have had other prize talents lured away with Manchester City swooping for Darko Gyabi and Samuel Edozie in recent years.

Lewisham-raised Gyabi, 18, has signed a four-year contract at Leeds, joining for an undisclosed fee earlier this week.

Edozie, from the same borough, is also expected to move on and has been linked with Bayer Leverkusen.

It is common practise for the Lions to insert sell-on clauses in all deals.