Millwall hit the jackpot after Wolves transfer agreement: View | OneFootball

It takes a very special player for Millwall fans to take them to heart, and Jed Wallace was exactly that during his six-year association with the Lions, and will always be remembered as a player who gave his all for this shirt.

The wide man wore his heart on his sleeve throughout his time at the Den, which saw two separate loan spells eventually turned permanent in the summer of 2017, and neither club nor player looked back once he became a Lion for life.

With over 200 appearances for the club in that time, the site of Wallace ploughing a furrow on one of the flanks became a regularity in the latter half of the previous decade; coinciding with one of the most successful periods in the club’s recent history.

Whether he was cutting in to have a shot himself, or scampering to the byline to cross for a team-mate, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man was a menace for Championship defences who visited Bermondsey week in, week out, and will go down as a modern great for the club.

Jed Wallace early career: Portsmouth FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Millwall

Wallace had always been a hotly-touted youngster after coming up through the ranks with Portsmouth at Fratton Park, and went on to feature over 100 times for his boyhood club as financial difficulties terrorised the south coast side during his teenage years.

That meant the forward was thrown into the deep end from the outset, with the task of competing in League One football falling at the then-18-year-old’s feet before he even had chance to take stock of where his career was heading.

In a time of disarray at the club, Wallace was a constant gleaming light as fortunes began to turn around for the 2008 FA Cup winners, and his sparkling form earned him a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2015.

After just seven games in the old gold, Wallace's first daliance with Millwall began, as he was loaned to South East London as the club battled for promotion to the second tier, before returning to Molineux as the Lions fell short in the play-off final at the hands of Barnsley.

That experience only seemed to whet the appetite for Wallace, and he was back in front of the Lions faithful at The Den the following season; this time helping to make amends with play-off final victory over Bradford City, with Steve Morison scoring the only goal of the game.

And thus a love affair was born; the wide man was a perfect fit in Neil Harris’ system at The Den, as he constantly provided the ammunition for Morison and Lee Gregory to hit the target, and he only continued to improve once he made that deal permanent in the summer.

The Lions were in rampant form on their return to the second tier, and Wallace was one of the protagonists in those showings; with three goals in his first seven league matches as a permanent Millwall player.

If any fans were yet to be won over by their marauding midfielder, then January 20, 2018 would have been the moment they fell in love; as he found the winner in the dying seconds against Leeds United at Elland Road to claim a dramatic 4-3 victory over the old enemy.

It’s a sight that has become commonplace for us these days; with 90+ minutes on the clock, Wallace still had the energy to surge upfield - skipping past defenders as he did so - before firing an effort home with the aid of a deflection to send the travelling fans into raptures.

It was those sort of moments that summed up his time in Bermondsey; that nonstop energy, that never-say-die attitude, that willingness to stick a boot in and pick up the odd caution for his troubles, that’s what Millwall fans crave from their side.

Jed Wallace moved on in 2022 but Millwall fans should hold no grudges

With four out of their five Championship finishes being eleventh or higher after promotion from League One, Wallace was proving himself to be a major influencer in the Lions’ impressive showings, having hit double figures for goal contributions on a regular basis.

With only Matheus Pereira of West Brom assisting more goals in 2019-20, the former Portsmouth man’s stock was continuing to rise, and it was no surprise that a number of clubs started to monitor his progress as he showed no signs of slowing down.

Burnley were said to be one of the sides interested as Wallace’s contract at The Den started to tick down at the end of the 2021/22 season, with his time in South East London seemingly coming to a close.

Despite it becoming apparent that he would no longer be playing for the club the following season, Wallace’s professionalism right until the very end epitomises just how much mutual respect there was between player and fanbase, although they came six points short in the search for the Championship play-offs.

West Bromwich Albion eventually won the race for his signature in 2022, bringing an end to illustrious spell in South East London, and starting a new chapter in the Midlands where his tenacious efforts are being similarly rewarded at the Hawthorns.

With over 80 appearances in his two seasons with the Baggies, the wide man’s effervescence has seen current boss Carlos Corberan see him as almost undroppable as they look for a return to the Premier League, with his efforts out of possession just as appreciated as his input with it.

Millwall fans will know all about that - and have sorely missed someone with his ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat this season - but they will always remember the good times with Wallace on the wing and the memories that brought.