Gary Rowett answers question about summer interest in his Millwall squad and Zian Flemming’s Championship potential

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Gary Rowett reckons that Zian Flemming has the ability to be the Championship’s standout player next season.

The Lions number 10 – dubbed the Bermondsey Bergkamp after his club record £1.7million move to SE16 from Fortuna Sittard last season – scored 15 goals.

Only Swansea’s Joel Piroe (105) and Coventry’s Viktor Gyokeres (96) had more shots than Flemming (93) in the regulation league campaign.

“When we brought Zian in he was only 23 at the time and had never played in England before – he had an absolutely barnstorming season,” Lions boss Rowett told the South London Press.

“He could be the best player in the Championship next season. That is the potential he has got.”

Flemming has no release fee in his Millwall deal.

Asked if he expected interest in the Amsterdam-born attacker, Rowett replied: “I would expect quite a few of our players to attract interest.

“You don’t win that amount of games in the Championship, and perform so well in a lot of the games, not to have a squad that a lot of other teams would want to look at.

“Zian is an obvious one because it is his first season.

“Just as much as you can’t dampen down expectation and dampen down the excitement at the end of the season, you also can’t dampen down the speculation of players performing well. That is part of us doing the right things and us, as a club, having the right type of young players who are developing.

“So it wouldn’t surprise me, but it’s not something our club particularly sees as an issue because John (Berylson, owner) has proved in the past we are not a selling club or one that desperately looks to sell our best players every season.

“Therefore I think it will be up to us what we do with any players, depending on any interest.”