"Really good signing" - Claim made as Millwall FC strike £1m Wolves agreement | OneFootball

Our fan pundit is excited about Luke Cundle's pending arrival at The Den

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Our Millwall fan pundit is excited about the prospect of Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle joining the club before the January window slams shut, amid reports that the 22-year-old is set to make a permanent move to The Den soon.

Cundle is no stranger to the Championship, having previously been on loan at Swansea City, Plymouth Argyle and Stoke City, and it looks as if he will now be returning to the second-tier after struggling to break through into Wolves' first-team so far this season.

Millwall have had a relatively quiet month so far, with three players signed in Aaron Connolly, Tristan Crama and Ajay Matthews from Sunderland, Brentford and Middlesbrough respectively, but none of those are midfielders, so it is no surprise to see Alex Neil make a move for Cundle this late in the window.

The Lions currently sit 14th in the Championship table, and will hope that the addition of the dynamic Wolves man will help to keep their season alive and possibly fuel a late play-off push.

Fan pundit sees Luke Cundle as a "welcome addition" to Alex Neil's ranks

Cundle's previous loan spells at Swansea, Plymouth and Stoke have all been relatively successful, so after failing to play once under Gary O'Neil or Vitor Pereira this term, it is no surprise to see him reportedly wanting out.

Football League World previously revealed that both Swansea and Preston North End were weighing up a move for the 22-year-old at the start of this month, but WalesOnline later claimed that Millwall had joined the chase for his services alongside Bristol City, and now the south-east London side look to have won the race for his signature.

John Percy, of The Telegraph, reported on Thursday that the Lions had agreed a deal worth £1 million with Wolves to sign the versatile midfielder, while Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke has claimed that Cundle is expected to sign a 3.5 year deal at The Den.

The move now looks to be in its final stages, after talkSPORT's Alex Crook reported that he had passed his medical ahead of the permanent move, and FLW's Millwall fan pundit, Lucas Ball, is excited about the prospect of the 22-year-old being in Alex Neil's squad for the foreseeable future, and believes his versatility will be an asset to the club moving forward.

“Luke Cundle looks a really good signing on paper," Lucas told FLW.

“He’s had a couple on loan spells in the Championship now, at Swansea, Plymouth and Stoke.

“I spoke to a Stoke fan at work today, and it sounds like he had a decent season for them last year, in a side that struggled at times too.

“I’m definitely happy with it. I think at £1m, it shows the new model that Millwall want to operate with in terms of buying young players then hopefully developing them.

“We know that’s the model now, it’s worked for a number of clubs, so if I we can make it work as well then it’ll make us a lot more sustainable and hopefully boost our hopes of eventually pushing towards those play-off positions.

“I think it looks a really good deal. He adds something that we probably don’t have in midfield, a bit more energy, but with some quality as well.

“We’ve got some players who do offer that energy at times, but not necessarily with the quality or composure needed, particularly in the advanced areas.

“If that’s something that he can add to our squad then he will be a very welcome addition.

“His versatility in being able to play as a number eight, as well as a number 10, is something that the club will look favourably on.

“This has the potential to be a really good deal for us.”

Cundle is a great addition for Millwall at that price

Prior to last season, Cundle had already made his name at his parent club in the Premier League, as he made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2019, and then went on to feature four times in the top-flight in the 2021/22 season, being handed starts against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

He was loaned out to Swansea for the 2022/23 campaign, and registered three goals and four assists in 34 appearances in all competitions under Russell Martin as he displayed his qualities consistently for the first time in senior football.

Cundle was again loaned to the second-tier last season, as he joined newly-promoted Plymouth, who were managed by Steven Schumacher at the time, and soon became a key player at Home Park as he notched four goals and five assists in 26 games, but was recalled by Wolves in January to then follow Schumacher to the bet365 Stadium.

The 22-year-old had a quiet start to life in North Staffordshire, but soon became a key player in the season's run-in as Stoke crucially avoided the Championship drop, thanks, in part, to his two goals and two assists in the final four league games.

Cundle managed to win Stoke fans over at the end of his loan spell, and really influenced Schumacher's side at the end of the season by playing on the left of the centre as the most advanced midfielder in his 4-3-3 system.

He will now join a similar system under Alex Neil if he makes the move to The Den, and will give the Lions something different in the middle of the park, with more finesse and trickery compared to the likes of Casper De Norre, George Saville and Billy Mitchell, while he is younger and has more potential than attacking midfieders such as George Honeyman and Duncan Watmore.

It certainly looks as if a deal for him to become a Millwall player is imminent, and on the face of it, the move looks like an ideal one for all parties, as Wolves get to profit from a youth player, Millwall get a good second-tier midfielder for a cut-price fee, and Cundle will be back playing regular football in a league that he is very familiar with by now.