Millwall boss Neil Harris on shock departures of senior management at Den

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Millwall head coach Neil Harris has admitted he was left “surprised” by the departures of three of the club’s hierarchy at the end of last week.

Lions owner James Berylson opted to part company with chief executive Steve Kavanagh, director of football operations and recruitment Alex Aldridge and chief operating officer Billy Taylor.

Mark Fairbrother, who worked at the Championship club before as chief financial officer, has returned as managing director of non-football operations with Steve Gallen the new director of football.

“I was surprised with the decisions last week that some senior guys would be leaving the football club,” Harris told the South London Press. “I can only comment on my personal relationships with the chaps and say that Steve, Alex and Billy are all fantastic human beings – really, really good family men – and were instrumental in driving so much success at our football club over a longer period of time.

“When they move on to their next roles, in time, then I wish them every success and look forward to staying in touch with them.

“I’ve been working in the game a long time as a player, coach and manager so I’m extremely used to moments of change, surprise and adversity over the years in all levels.”

Gallen is back in club football for the first time since he left Charlton in August 2023.

He had various titles at the Addicks – largely due to structural changes as the ownership switched from Roland Duchatelet to Thomas Sandgaard – and worked alongside Addicks boss Lee Bowyer when they achieved League One play-off glory in 2019.

Gallen had recently been re-united with Bowyer after he took charge of Montserrat.

“My relationship moving forward will be close to Steve Gallen,” said Harris. “He is coming in as director of football. We’ve already held discussions on plans, how we see the transfer window going, what we think we need to improve in the window and what the club philosophy is going to be in the transfer window next season, along with the expectation.

“It is our job to work as a collaborative unit, with the recruitment team, to make sure we sign the right players to help us improve from last season.”

Kavanagh has presided over a period of extended stability for Millwall that has seen them not only consolidate Championship status but also achieve major milestones.

Only last week the club secured a new 999-year lease for The Den which hands them lucrative development rights. Millwall also received planning permission in October 2022 for a new training ground site in West Kingsdown.

Berylson talked after the new lease agreement of the South Londoners becoming “serious challengers” to reach the Premier League.

The American assumed control in July after his father John passed away in a road traffic crash.

Asked about Berylson’s ambition of top-flight football, Harris said: “The club always has to have a vision of what the end product is.

“The club has moved forward so much the whole time the Berylson family have invested in the football club and Jimmy wants to continue striving for us to be better.

“The extension of the (stadium) lease is a huge, huge positive for so many reasons, off the pitch and on the pitch.

“Ultimately we have to keep believing and dreaming that one day we can get to the top level in world football and play in the Premier League.

“We also know we have to do it in a sustainable way but also in a way where we are methodical in what we do. That is why this transfer window is as important as always.

“We had a really strong finish last year and I as head coach, coming back into the football club in February, want to make sure we keep striving to move forward and try to get closer to those top-six positions.”

One of the jobs for Gallen’s in-tray will be resolving the future of Zian Flemming.

Our paper exclusively revealed that the agency representing the Dutchman are pushing for their client to move on this summer.

Flemming has one more season on his current deal with a club option of a further 12 months.

Aldridge was one of the people responsible for removing a sell-on that Fortuna Sittard had on their former player before Berylson died.

Ipswich have extensively watched Flemming with Spanish sides, including Alaves, keen. But most clubs abroad seem intent on a loan with an option to buy.

Millwall have agreed a fee with Tottenham for Japhet Tanganga but agreeing terms with the ex-England U21 international is the next challenge.

The centre-back, who enjoyed a successful second half of last season on loan with Millwall, is likely to have option both inside and outside of England.

“We’re in a position, if you look at the cold facts, that it is not a huge turnover of players – double figures – like some teams have to face,” said Harris.

“We have loan players who have gone back to parent clubs and there will naturally be players that leave this window by individual choice or club choice.

“There will also be the thought process of players going on loan in the short to mid-term before coming back to help us.

“We will have to recruit players so we have a balanced squad for the system I want to play next year and strength in depth for the first half of the season when we have league action but also EFL Cup games.

“We have got a lot of work to do but certainly player-wise it is not completely wholesale changes.

“When there is a change of leadership at a football club then relationships take a time to build.

“The personnel in building those relationships need to try and be seamless – work together to build a rapport as quickly as possible.

“I have a very long-standing and strong relationship with Jimmy and that continues.

“Steve comes in to work with the recruitment team, the football department and the academy – to help us drive forward.

“For me, the plans have been in place for months before I got here on recruitment for the summer. We do have a policy that the head coach has an opinion within the recruitment process but it is club-led – that doesn’t change, in this instance.

“Recruitment will be club-led at Millwall Football Club and it should be club-led here.

“I’m a cog in that and look forward to working with Steve and the recruitment department to try and get the right players.

“Nothing changes for me. My job is to make sure my relationship with the players is strong and they are ready to hit the ground running on June 26 in pre-season.”