Football League World
·14 September 2024
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·14 September 2024
With the transfer window now shut, clubs will have to focus on next summer in their bid to retain key players.
As the transfer window is now closed, teams will have their squads all set for the new season, but the expiry of player contracts will begin to emerge.
Millwall will certainly be keeping an eye on who is leaving The Den. As it stands, eight players will be departing at the end of 2024/25, five permanently and three who are on season-long loan deals.
Neil Harris is sure to want to keep the majority of these players with some experienced names there. Many of the potential departures have featured so far this season.
Here is who Harris and Millwall will have to be making a decision over.
Mitchell is a homegrown talent who has now entered his sixth season within the Lions first-team squad.
The 23-year-old's previous contract was signed in July 2022, which would see him kept at The Den until June 2025. This will begin to creep up on Harris' radar.
Mitchell is a fan favourite and has been a regular within the first-team, already amassing 130 Championship appearances.
This knowledge will peak the interest of several other clubs looking to secure the midfielder's services and Millwall will have to ensure they get there first.
Signing on a season-long loan from Cardiff City in late August, Wintle will be looking to impress in South London.
The 27-year-old put pen to paper for Cardiff in a deal which keeps him at the Cardiff City Stadium until 2027, meaning there was little chance for the Lions to include an option to buy.
Unless Millwall have an extraordinary season, Wintle looks set to return to South Wales.
Another loanee for the season is Coburn. The 21-year-old made an immediate impact for the Lions, scoring on his debut in the 3-0 triumph over Sheffield Wednesday.
The young striker signed in August from Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough side in search for some more game time, but is set to return to Teesside next summer.
Coburn can pick up some vital experience with his time at The Den, and judging by his start, Carrick could have a young player to light up his Boro side next season.
Potentially the biggest name on this list is Watmore. The 30-year-old has been at his peak this season and has made the Championship look easy so far.
The winger has been a part of a blossoming attack and is showing promising signs for the South London outfit.
However, the winger's contract at The Den will be up by June.
Harris will be keen to get this sorted as soon as possible, but like he did when he left Boro for Millwall, it could see him leave in January with six months left, as other clubs are due to be keen on a cheap deal if his bright start is to progress.
The reasoning for Scanlon coming to the Den looks like a squad option for Harris, but also experience for the Liverpool youngster.
The 19-year-old left-back joined The Den from Anfield at the end of the August window on a season-long loan, which will see him return to Merseyside at the end of May.
A promising candidate for Arne Slot's men, and he's sure to gain the experience required in South London.
This would be a tough loss for the Lions. Bradshaw joined Milwall from Barnsley in August 2018 and has since been a revelation at The Den.
The striker has played almost 200 games for the club since his arrival from the Tykes, scoring 40+ goals. He had an appearance-based clause in his deal triggered in 2023/24, meaning his deal runs until the end of this season, according to Southwark News.
Bradshaw will have gone down the pecking order following the arrivals of Coburn and Macauley Langstaff, but his experience in this side can help them in the big moments.
He can certainly provide goals at this level still, but now at 32, the Welshman could be seeking a new challenge after his seven-season stay at The Den.
Another departure that would be hard to take for the Lions but is possibly overdue. A leader on and off the field, Hutchinson has amassed 250+ outings for the South London side since his arrival from Fulham in 2016.
His leadership traits have been key for the Lions, and that was rewarded with a one-year extension in July after he initially left the club earlier in the summer.
Hutchinson’s return has been greeted warmly by the players and the fans at the club, but many know this could be his last season wearing the dark blue of Millwall.
He still has his part to play in this season, and his stature at the club can't be understated in what could be a successful season for Harris' men.
As harsh as it is to say, Lions fans may not be too emotionally invested if Trueman was to leave.
Yet to make an appearance for the club since joining in 2022, the 28-year-old was purely signed as a back-up and has since been that as he enters his third season with the club.
Joining from Birmingham City, the keeper has appeared for Oxford United, Swindon Town, AFC Wimbledon and Solihull Moors.
In July 2023, the keeper signed a one-year extension to his Millwall contract, which means he's set to depart the club this summer. One that won't be too big a blow for Harris.