Millwall look to stagger contract negotiations – with boss Gary Rowett outlining the priority for negotiations
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk
Gary Rowett says that Millwall will look to stagger contract negotiations – and admits the priority is those players who are heading towards the end of their Den terms.
The Lions announced deal renewals for centre-back Shaun Hutchinson and midfielder Shaun Williams last week.
Williams, 33, had been due to be a free agent at the start of July.
And there had been a suggestion that striker Tom Bradshaw, pictured left, could also be in line for fresh terms.
Rowett said: “I saw some of those stories and they certainly haven’t come from the club.
“Bradders is one I really like and he has come back from a bad injury last season. I think his contract extends for quite some time, I’m not sure of the exact details.
“It is more the ones who are imminently coming out of contract or coming into their last year [who are the priority].
“What you can’t do when you do two new contracts is that everyone speculates. Players are thinking ‘why have I not been asked?’
“We’re going to try and stagger some of those deals and look at them individually – not clump them all together.
“Again I’ll leave the club to sort all these type of things out.
“He [Bradshaw] is certainly one who has done well and one who I see as part of what we’re trying to do long term.”
Millwall have a purchase clause for Mason Bennett. The 23-year-old signed on loan from Derby at the end of last week.
“To get someone else’s player fit when they are in the same division [without an option to make it permanent] wouldn’t make a lot of sense,” said Rowett.
“What does make a lot of sense is to have the option to look at a player and potentially buy them at the end of the season.”
Both Bennett and Ryan Leonard could be fit for selection for Sunday’s home game against leaders West Bromwich Albion.
“Lenny has been out for around four months and Mason more than two months so we need to make sure we get enough training time in their legs not to put them at risk,” said Rowett.
“Mason has had rotten luck with injuries and in his first week here someone stood on his hand and we thought he’d broken it – he’s okay though.”
Midfielder Ben Thompson (ankle) is not expected back until at least March.
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