Millwall summer exit now seems inevitable for £2m flop: View | OneFootball

Kevin Nisbet has not had a dream debut season in England since joining Millwall from Hibernian last summer.

The 27-year-old moved to the Lions on a three-year deal worth over £2 million last June, after three years with Hibs in which he scored 39 goals in 101 appearances and became a full Scotland international in the process.

After netting five goals in 29 games for Millwall in his first campaign, he was dropped from Neil Harris' squad for the final league game of the season against Swansea City.

Harris cited disciplinary reasons for Nisbet's omission from the squad, and it seems unlikely that he will feature in his plans going forward, as Harris sets about aiming to stabilise the club following a tumultuous season in which he was hired to save them from relegation to League One.

A summer exit looks likely, and would curtail a disappointing season in English football for Nisbet after he was signed with high hopes of providing a serious goal threat following his exploits in the Scottish capital.

Kevin Nisbet has seemingly failed to settle at Millwall

Nisbet has seemingly struggled to adapt to the standards of the Championship and life in London since his arrival.

His Lions career did get off to a fairly promising start after he netted two goals in his first five league games - with a winner against Stoke City at The Den in August setting him on the right path to endearing himself to the home faithful.

After not finding the net in his next nine games, Nisbet went through a small purple patch as he scored three goals against Ipswich, Sunderland and Leicester City in the space of four games just before Christmas.

He did not score again after that late consolation against the Foxes, and made just five appearances after the turn of the year due to a hamstring injury he picked up against Preston North End in February.

The 27-year-old made his return as a substitute against Plymouth Argyle on April 27, but was dropped from the Millwall squad altogether for their game against Swansea with Neil Harris revealing why after the game.

He said: "With Kevin, it’s a disciplinary matter about culture and standards. There’s no bigger problem moving forward. Kevin is a huge part of our football club moving forward. But it wasn’t right to involve him today so I went with the group that I did.”

Harris' words may act as a sign of optimism for Nisbet that he still has a future at the club - but his scoring record, injury issues and attitude problems combined could force the Lions into cutting their losses and attempting to find a new striker to pin their hopes on next season.

Just last month, Harris outlined the importance of having "Millwall-like players" at the club in an interview with the South London Press.

Nisbet's omission suggests that he has not been up to standard for Harris, so it seems unlikely that the club legend would want to keep him around for next season irrespective of what he said post-Swansea.

Millwall need goalscorers for 2024-25 amid lack of striker options

Despite eventually finishing 13th, the Lions were the third-lowest scorers in the 2023/24 Championship season, with their 45 goals only more than 20th-placed Sheffield Wednesday and third-tier bound Rotherham United.

Nisbet's five league goals for the club were only bettered by Zian Flemming's seven, but it was still a poor showing for a marquee signing that Lions fans hoped would help them improve on an eighth-placed finish in 2022/23.

He instead has topped just one chart for the club this season, according to Fotmob - with nine big chances missed.

The last time Millwall had no strikers score 10 league goals in a season was in 2014/15, and with Tom Bradshaw's influence waning since his 17 goals in 2022/23, Nisbet has failed to step up to the plate despite arriving as the most expensive striker in the club's history.

Harris has to solve the problem up front for next season so Millwall don't find themselves embroiled in another battle at the bottom of the league, and the sale of Nisbet may just be the answer, if both parties admit that it has not worked out on and off the pitch.