"£5m-£10m player" - Millwall FC star tipped for higher level after summer switch | OneFootball

FLW's Millwall fan pundit has pinpointed which of Neil Harris' players should be competing at a higher level

Millwall have made a mixed start to the new Championship season.

The Lions have been unable to maintain the positive form they ended the previous campaign on, in which they won each of their final five fixtures to earn 13th in the table.

Neil Harris’ side will be aiming to improve on that mid-table finish by closing the gap to the play-off places, but their form has left them 18th during the October international break.

It was a busy summer transfer window for the London outfit, with several fresh faces joining the first team squad in a bid to close the gap to the top teams in the division.

This includes the likes of Femi Azeez, Macaulay Langstaff, Mihailo Ivanovic and Japhet Tanganga.

Japhet Tanganga tipped for higher level

When asked which of the club’s players should be playing at a higher level, FLW’s Millwall fan pundit Chris Chapman, of Chat with Chaps, highlighted Tanganga’s talent.

He believes the defender will be gaining attention sooner rather than later due to the quality of his performances, but hopes he can enjoy a long and successful career at the Den.

“I don’t really want to talk too much about this player because I’m absolutely shocked we managed to sign him in the summer,” Chapman told Football League World.

“And I don’t really want too many people to be looking at him, but they inevitably will be, and that’s Japhet Tanganga.

“I think he’s been absolutely outstanding this season.

“He is what I call a Rolls-Royce of a centre-back in the Championship.

“I think you’d be hard pressed to find that many centre-backs in the league, he’s so calm on the ball, his understanding and reading of the game is fantastic, his passing is good.

“He’s fairly quick, good in the air, he’s just got everything.

“And he also makes Jake Cooper a better player.

“We’ve conceded less goals with him in the team, by far.

“We obviously conceded seven goals at the start of the season in our first two games, which were the two games he missed.

“So it’s no coincidence that we’ve started to pick up clean sheets.

“He’s a fantastic player, and in my opinion he’s anywhere between a £5m-£10m player that we got for free in the summer.

“Long may it continue, and I just hope he sticks around for some time to come.”

Japhet Tanganga’s impact at Millwall

Tanganga initially joined Millwall last season during the January transfer window, arriving on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

The defender made 18 appearances in the Championship, even contributing two goals, as the team came 13th in the table (all stats from Fbref).

He arrived on a permanent basis over the summer, signing as a free agent following his exit from Spurs.

The 25-year-old has immediately slotted back into his starting position in Harris’ team, and is a standout figure in the Lions’ games.

Japhet Tanganga was a shrewd signing by Millwall

The signing of Tanganga was great work by the recruitment staff at Millwall, as it’s not a deal that might have seemed realistic until it actually happened.

The defender broke into the Tottenham first team squad in the Premier League, and performed solidly at that level, even if he fell down the pecking order under Ange Postecoglou.

He could have potentially earned himself a move within that division, but decided to take the step down to the Championship in order to aid his development.

That is proving a smart move on his part, as his performances will surely generate strong interest in him in the future, if he can keep up this form.

Millwall will want to get good years out of him, but they could still yet end up massively profiting off him down the line, and either outcome is a net positive for the club really.