Millwall may already have Japhet Tanganga replacement ahead of Tottenham return: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Millwall can head into this final game of the Championship season knowing their safety is already confirmed.

It has been a testing season for the Lions, as the club has found themselves in a different position than in previous campaigns.

Millwall have made themselves into a play-off contender in recent times, but this season it has been completely different, as the club have been involved in a hectic relegation battle.

But the club's decision to bring Neil Harris back as manager has worked wonders for them, and they head into this summer still as a Championship team.

One player who has played a key role in the club’s bid for safety is defender Japhet Tanganga, but what will be disappointing for Millwall is that he is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, and you would presume their chances of re-signing him for next season are slim.

Japhet Tanganga’s current situation

Tanganga spent the second half of this Championship season on loan at Millwall.

This is only the defender’s second loan spell away from Spurs, with his first coming earlier this season, when he spent some time at German side FC Augsburg.

Tanganga has been on the books at Tottenham since 2009; during that time, he has come through their different academy groups and broke into the first team during the 2019/20 season.

However, the defender hasn’t fully established himself in the Tottenham team, and that is still the case now. Even with new manager Ange Postecoglou coming in, the defender wasn’t given a chance in the first team.

So, this second half of the season was a chance to show what he can do in English football, and Tanganga has done rather well, even scoring two goals in 17 league appearances and playing a pivotal role in Millwall beating the drop.

The Lions would surely want to keep hold of the defender for next season, but the chances of that may be hard given his pedigree and the standard of this loan.

Millwall, then, could be on the lookout for a replacement. They may not need to look too far, either, as they could already have Alex Mitchell in the building.

Alex Mitchell can replace Tanganga

Heading into this summer, Harris is likely going to want to give the squad a bit of a reboot.

Harris knows it has been a disappointing season, so he will likely want to make some key changes, and with Tanganga's loan ending, defence is going to be one area he identifies.

Mitchell has been with Millwall from a very young age, with the centre-back coming through the club’s different age groups.

At this moment in time, Mitchell has only played once for the Lions, and that was a 10-minute cameo in the EFL Cup in the 2021/22 season.

However, the defender has had several loans at other clubs, and he has really impressed. Mitchell has had time at Bromley, Leyton Orient, St. Johnstone, and now Lincoln City.

The 22-year-old was sent to the Imps at the start of this season, and it has turned out to be quite an impressive loan spell for the defender.

He finished the League One season having played in 36 league games, 34 of which he started, averaging 82 minutes per game, and his performances even got recognition from Sofascore.com some weeks.

During his loan, the defender scored one goal for Lincoln, as well as creating three big chances.

But it will be Mitchell’s defensive performances that could have impressed Harris and Millwall. Per 90, he averaged 0.7 interceptions, an impressive 1.5 tackles, and won the ball back three times on average every outing. All of that helped him be part of a defence that kept 12 clean sheets when he was on the pitch, as per Sofascore.com.

Mitchell really grasped his chance while on loan at Millwall, and he will return to The Den as a much better player for his experience.