Striker, winger, centre-back and goalkeeper transfer deals a ‘minimum’ requirement for Millwall in summer transfer window

Millwall head coach Neil Harris says the club need to add at least one centre-forward in the summer transfer window – with a wide player, goalkeeper and centre-back also a priority.

The Lions are chasing a deal for Notts County’s prolific frontman Macaulay Langstaff.

And there has also been interest at League One level in Tom Bradshaw. Bradshaw and Kevin Nisbet are the South London outfit’s only recognised senior strikers.

Asked about how many frontmen needed to come in, Harris told the South London Press last week: “I look at it more as the attacking area of the pitch. We feel we have got good variation in the number 10 position.

“We feel we have got some good attributes in wide areas in Duncan (Watmore) with his technical ability and running, Aidomo (Emakhu) in his pace, Romain (Esse) between the lines and George Honeyman has played there quite a lot for me and really effective in a different game.

“We need wide options but also centre-forward pairings. And strength in that position. With Tom and Kevin in the building, it is probably one number nine to come in at the moment. But then obviously pre-season is a long period with the window shutting at the start of September. We have to be mindful of when I walked into the building in February we didn’t have a fully-fit centre-forward.

“So we do need some strength in depth and options as well.

“Alex Mitchell left the building (to join Charlton), just because of history with the football club for him, I look at it that who knows what will happen in the coming weeks with family scenarios and players wanting to move. You always have to be open-minded to other options.

“We certainly know we need to add at least one nine and a minimum of one wide player.”

Goalscorers always tend to be in demand. It throws up the question whether there is a hardest position to recruit.

Harris said: “I find it changes. Sometimes you might have eight similar sized clubs, us and several others, all looking for the same position. Then it becomes really difficult, because you’re all in the same sort of pot wages wise and transfer fees you can play. All hunting a really small market.

“Sometimes you need to be lucky and not looking for a position that is the same as everyone else.

“We have identified positions – I’ve talked there openly about a wide player and a centre-forward. We are fully aware we need to add a a centre-half and now certainly look at the goalkeeping position, as well as maybe looking at a couple of options in other different positions. Just to add something variety-wise and age-wise in different positions.

“The priority is certainly a goalkeeper, centre-forward, wide and centre-half. What has slowed us down this summer has been other clubs looking at the same positions. But also just the slowness of the market because of the amount of players who just aren’t available at the moment.

“As always, I’ve talked in the last few days about being patient. I’m okay because this week (last week now) has been really imperative that we spend time together as a group. The staff and players we’ve got in the building are pretty much the ones that finished last season. That has been key to get through these last few days when we remember Mati Sarkic.

“Moving forward into next week it is important we get into the realms of getting players through the door, seriously, because we need to add positions, we need to be able to get messages into players and control their fitness regimes. Certainly we want players in before we head to Spain and our pre-season programme really kicks in.

“Those four priority positions will be the key ones where we’re looking to add.”