The full exclusive story on Millwall landing Zian Flemming – no release clause in Den deal and Lions fought off late interest from Olympiacos

There are plenty of twists and turns in every transfer, and the full details of Millwall’s pursuit of Zian Flemming underlines the persistence required to get their club-record deal across the line.

The Lions’ £1.7million acquisition of the Amsterdam-born attacker is looking a particularly shrewd piece of business after his hat-trick in the 4-2 win at Preston North End earlier this month.

Flemming is joint-second in the Championship scoring charts with eight goals, but eight of the 12 players who are either on the same total or one ahead have played more matches.

The former Ajax youngster has had 42 shots in the league, a total only surpassed by Sheffield United’s Oli McBurnie (46) and Blackburn’s Ben Brereton Diaz (45).

Flemming has integrated quickly, effectively and efficiently to English football. He will not even clock up six months in the UK until December 1.

Everything suggests he is only going to get better.

Millwall first flagged Flemming as a person of interest a couple of years ago and unsuccessfully bid for him in January.

They were not always frontrunners with Empoli and Wolfsburg both previously showing an interest. Nottingham Forest had also been rebuffed more than once by Fortuna Sittard in the summer of 2021.

Flemming was at last May’s Championship play-off final. The feeling at that stage was that he would sign for Huddersfield Town, especially if they got promoted to the Premier League. And also that Forest, if they came up short, may come back in for him again. Flemming’s visit to London was very much with the view that one of those clubs would be the next step in his career.

But Huddersfield were restricted by the fact that former Lions loanee Harry Toffolo and Lewis O’Brien were not sold to Nottingham Forest until July 20.

The Terriers had to wait for the transfer cogs to start moving with outgoings first. Millwall, by contrast, already knew that Jed Wallace – such a pivotal influence in the final third – would not be re-signing and were able to press ahead.

It helped that Gary Rowett had been a long-term admirer of Flemming, who had been given a glowing reference about the club from his fellow Dutchman Maikel Kieftenbeld, even though the Lions had opted not to extend his contract.

Rowett and Alex Aldridge, Millwall’s director of football operations and recruitment, helped muscle Millwall into the move equation.
And then there was own due diligence that Flemming chose to conduct on his suitors.

The attention to detail he placed on his career on the playing side – paying out of his own pocket for fitness and nutrition specialists in the Netherlands – was matched off the pitch with no stone left unturned.

Flemming had several detailed Zoom sessions with Rowett and had a list of pre-prepared questions, writing down responses in a notepad. Not the norm.

Aldridge, meanwhile, spoke at length with Flemming’s agent and father to talk through the club’s ambitions for the season ahead.

With Rowett staying in close contact with Flemming, sending him pictures of the pitch renovations taking place at Calmont Road over the summer, Aldridge pushed ahead with Sittard.

Flemming had re-negotiated his contract in his final year at Fortuna. Previously he had a release clause of €500,000 if they were relegated from the Eredivisie, but there was no release sum in the event they stayed up.

Flemming bumped the relegation release to €1m but also negotiated one that could be triggered outside of that situation.

His 12th goal of the 2021-22 season – a 1-0 win at NEC Nijmegen on the final day – saved Fortuna from the drop. It proved his final contribution.

The Lions activated the clause but there was another wobble when Olympiacos – also owned by free-spending Forest supremo Evangelos Marinakis – came in offering at least £500,000 more to Sittard, just days before Flemming was due to arrive in London. The Greek club could offer Champions League football and more lucrative terms to Flemming.

But the player stayed firm in his intent to join Millwall who, in turn, resisted pressure to up their bid to compete with Olympiacos.

The Lions had pulled out all the stops to get Flemming. Rowett had promised him the number 10 shirt – a symbolic gesture that indicated he was going to be a major player.

The heavy Championship interest had also only fuelled Flemming’s belief that he had the skill-set to shine.

Flemming has no release clause in his Millwall contract.

It doesn’t take a neurosurgeon to work out that clubs from a higher level will already have taken note of his early impact in SE16.

The feeling inside the club is that there is more to come from Flemming in his general play.

Millwall fans quickly labelled him the Bermondsey Bergkamp after his arrival – but before they had seen him in action. The perception is that a Dutch attacker will be silky playing between the lines, picking up the ball on the half turn.

Flemming feels far more British, if that makes sense. Technically very solid, excellent with his ball striking and strong in the air when crosses are played in. What’s more, he gets all kinds of goals. Not only is he able to find the back of the net from the edge of the box – his sumptuous finish at Rotherham which was nominated for October’s Championship Goal of the Month a prime example – but he is just as likely to poach one from close range.

His third goal at Preston also underlined his composure. It would have been easy to snatch or thrash at the cross from Danny McNamara. Instead he calmly took a touch before slotting home.

Jed Wallace’s boots were big ones to fill. But Flemming, so far, is looking more than capable of doing that.