Millwall new transfer window recruit delighted at switch – targets first-team starting berth next
Liam Roberts has set his sights on the number one spot at Millwall after signing a 12-month deal on Monday.
The 29-year-old left Middlesbrough at the end of last season and has been training with the Lions.
Roberts joined Neil Harris’ squad when they flew out to Spain on Sunday for their training camp in Alicante and then put pen to paper.
The stopper has played 258 matches at first-team level, ranging from the Championship to National League.
Roberts faces competition from Lukas Jensen, who has arrived for an undisclosed fee from Lincoln, for the goalkeeping spot.
The new recruit says he was challenged to come in and impress by Harris and goalkeeping coach Andy Marshall during his trial spell.
“I feel like I’ve done that,” Roberts told Millwall TV. “That’s not just the end, sit on my laurels and say: ‘This place is nice’. I need to kick on and prove I need to be in the team week in and week out.
“I spoke to Duncan Watmore before coming in and he said: ‘You’ll love it. As soon as you step through the door you’ll get that feeling of family and that the lads are all in it together’. He wasn’t wrong at all.
“I’ve played quite a few games and been around the game a very, very long time. I can help the younger goalies with any problems they’ve got away from football because I have been there myself. I can help whether I’m on the pitch or off it.”
Jensen is expected to start the campaign as first choice.
“You have to put personal pride to one side sometimes,” said Roberts. “Whoever has got the spot has got the spot – you have to support and be right behind them, because you’d expect exactly the same the other way around.
“If I’m in the team – brilliant. But if not, then how can I support them to be the best they can be? Ultimately if we win then I win.
“There’s only one position for a goalie and if the goalie is doing well then I must be doing something right in training and games to keep them going and keeping their consistency.”