Joe Edwards reacts as Burnley and Hull City eye late Millwall transfer raid

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·30 January 2024

Joe Edwards reacts as Burnley and Hull City eye late Millwall transfer raid

Highlights

Romain Esse, an 18-year-old midfielder, has attracted interest from several clubs due to his potential and performances in the Championship.
Millwall manager, Joe Edwards, acknowledges the speculation but is confident that Esse will stay with the club and wants to work with him for the long-term.
Esse's limited game time does not require Millwall to sell him, and it would be more beneficial for his development to keep him and provide him with playing opportunities.

Joe Edwards has responded to speculation surrounding the future of Romain Esse.

The 18-year-old has been linked with the likes of Burnley and Hull City ahead of the final couple of days of the winter market.

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The Millwall player has broken into the Lions’ first team squad over the last 12 months, proving himself as a useful squad player for the London club.

This has attracted the attention of a number of clubs, with the youngster showing a lot of potential with his Championship performances.

Esse has made 27 appearances in the second division, including one start, and even bagged his first senior league goal back in August in a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough on the opening day of the campaign.

Edwards has claimed that he understands why there is speculation over such a promising young talent, who has featured for the England U19 side.

However, he is confident that the midfielder will remain at the Den beyond Thursday’s 11pm transfer deadline.

“I gather there’s been some sort of interest which to me is totally understandable when you’re talking about a young England international playing at a Championship level and probably not getting the ideal amount of game time he would have liked in recent weeks and months, albeit he came on [against Preston] on Saturday and did well, the most amount of minutes he’s gotten for a while,” said Edwards, via News At Den. “I gather why there would be speculation because that’s completely normal but from my point of view, there’s nothing I’ve had to make decisions on or give much thought of. “As far as I’m concerned, Romain’s here training with us every day and he’s a player that certainly for the long-term I want to be part of [the team] and I want to keep working with.”

Edwards took charge of Millwall in November, replacing Gary Rowett at the helm of the London club.

The 37-year-old has given Esse six opportunities to compete in the first team squad since joining the club, but has yet to hand the teenager a start.

Millwall's current league position in the Championship

The Lions are currently 17th in the Championship table, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

The gap to the play-off places is 10 points, with the club suffering an underwhelming campaign compared to 12 months ago when they were competing for a top six spot.

Next up for Edwards’ team is a trip to face Hull City on 3 February.

Millwall must hold onto Esse for now

It is no surprise that Esse is gaining interest given he has made a breakthrough into Championship football at such a young age.

Despite receiving limited game time, he has looked very promising when given a chance to prove himself, and it is clear he possesses a lot of potential.

Esse has a contract until the summer of 2026, meaning Millwall are not in a position where they need to sell.

So it makes sense for them to keep hold of a prized asset for the time being, and hope he can become an even more influential member of the team over the coming months.

While the Lions could cash in now, there is a chance that his value increases significantly over the next 12 to 18 months by becoming a key part of the team.