The Millwall lowdown ahead of 2023-24 season
The South London Press rounds up the transfer activity at Millwall along with predicting the players and teams who could be at the top and bottom of the Championship standings.
MILLWALL STATS + VERDICT
Last season’s league position: Eighth (Championship)
Top-scorer: Tom Bradshaw (17)
Most appearances: Jake Cooper (48 in all competitions)
Players in: Casper de Norre (OH Leuven), Kevin Nisbet (Hibernian), Joe Bryan (Fulham, free), Wes Harding (Rotherham, free), Matija Sarkic (Wolves).
Players out: Scott Malone (Gillingham, free), Mason Bennett (Burton, free), Ryan Sandford (free)
KEY PLAYER: Kevin Nisbet (below) – The summer signing from Hibernian has already been in the goals during pre-season. If he brings that clinical edge to league matches then the Lions could be seriously cooking.
THE PROSPECT: Romain Esse. No points for originality but the England U20 international looks likely to start the campaign as an impact option off the bench. Needs to add end product to his game but technically has all the boxes ticked.
TOP TWO: Southampton, Leeds
PLAY-OFFS: Leicester, Coventry, Ipswich, Middlesbrough
RELEGATED: Blackburn, Rotherham, QPR
OPINION: Nick Hart (Achtung! Millwall podcast): “The loss of our beloved chairman John Berylson will be felt very keenly in the crucial opening phase of the season, when new signings Kevin Nisbet and Casper de Norre will be finding their feet in the Championship. But overall I expect Millwall to be more creative and dangerous than we were in last season’s near-miss. Defensively though? I do worry that Old Father Time is creeping up on our defenders faster than a steward if you’ve brought a beer into your seat from the concourse bar. If we’re shipping goals faster than we score them, then we’ll struggle.”
Prediction: Mid-table respectability.
OPENING FIXTURES
August 5 – Middlesbrough v Millwall (Championship)
August 8 – Millwall v Reading (EFL Cup)
August 12 – Millwall v Bristol City (Championship)
August 20 – Norwich v Millwall (Championship)