Japhet Tanganga on ‘special moment’ with Millwall fans at Den and finishing loan spell so strongly

Japhet Tanganga felt that he was performing at his maximum by the time his Millwall loan ended.

The Tottenham centre-back signed for the Lions in the January transfer window after not playing a minute at Augsburg, joining the Bundesliga side in the previous window.

Tanganga, 25, finished with 18 appearances and two goals for the South Londoners, who are hoping to be in the mix for his signature this summer.

The former England U21 international is out of contract this summer but Spurs have an option to extend his deal by another 12 months, protecting a fee for the defender.

Tanganga, talking to the South London Press through Sky Bet Championship , is grateful for the rebuilding job done at Millwall.

“Coming in January, not playing as much football, it was almost a year on since I played my last 90-minute game,” he said.

“I knew it was going to be tough, that I’d have to do a lot to try and catch up with people who had already been playing since the start of the season in August.

“I did what I needed to do, and the club helped me with recovery and treatment, making sure that my body was in the best place to get into rhythm, to play as many games as I can.

“Definitely [he feels like he has been playing at his maximum].

“My favourite moment was my last-minute winner against Birmingham. Scoring the last-minute winner was a great feeling – the boys, the atmosphere and how it felt…it’s a feeling that I can’t even describe. Going from scoring no senior goals to that being my second, it’s a great feeling.”

Tanganga was one of the Lions players cemented in the starting line-up after Neil Harris replaced Joe Edwards as head coach in February.

“I have a good relationship with the gaffer, and he understands who I am,” said Tanganga. “Obviously he spoke to me and understood that I went to Germany and the manager got sacked, things changed, and then I came to Millwall, and the manager got sacked – he understood straight away how I might have been feeling in that situation.

“He just understood me, spoke to me, and let me know that he was here to help me, with my history of past injuries, and how to manage myself. He’s been very helpful and communicative.”

Millwall’s fans were singing for Tanganga to stay when the players did their lap of appreciation after the final home fixture against Plymouth.

“It’s a feeling I can’t describe,” said Tanganga, when asked about that moment. “It’s a feeling that a lot of football players want, to feel appreciated and feel like they’ve added value to the team and can show what they’re capable of doing. The boys have been amazing in terms of taking me in and making me feel welcome, as well as the fans. It’s a great feeling.”