Millwall know Carlisle United’s pain as January decision looms | OneFootball

The club were in talks with the player over an extended deal.

Mike Williamson's first transfer window as Carlisle United's head coach is fast approaching.

It's a time of the season that offers plenty of opportunities but not always the desired outcomes. Ever since the summer, clubs and their supporters across the EFL have been thinking about which part of their teams could be improved in the new year, and exactly who could come in.

But teams aren't totally restricted. Any out of contract players can be snapped up outside the window, just as Carlisle did with Tyler Burey and Kadeem Harris.

Burey, a former Millwall prospect who joined the club on a short-term deal in October, was Williamson's first United signing. He will have been much more involved in this decision than he is expected to be in January, with sporting director Rob Clarkson now in place, so Burey can certainly be considered as a Williamson signing.

Carlisle face tough decision on ex-Millwall talent

Carlisle have a decision to make on the 23-year-old attacker, who has spent most of his time with the Blues as a wing-back, soon. Williamson revealed that they had been in talks with him and Harris over new more long-term deals, but any breakthroughs on those fronts are yet to emerge.

Burey was benched in the Blues' last match - a 0-0 draw away at Port Vale which lifted them off the pit of the League Two table - and was completely shifted out of position and put at left wing-back in the prior game against Chesterfield.

He has shown promising flashes here and there in a Carlisle shirt, but, whether it be down to the positions that he has played, or his ability, Burey has yet to really lay his stamp down on this team.

There have been signs of the quality which made him so highly rated at Millwall. Maybe they would appear more if he was played higher up the pitch, but is there enough there to keep him on past January? That's a question that only Williamson and Clarkson will be able to provide the answer to.

Millwall endured similar pain with Tyler Burey

Burey made his Millwall debut at just 19 years old and amassed 58 appearances in his three seasons with the Lions' first team.

A highly regarded talent, the London-based club thought that they may have had another star of the future on their hands with Burey when they recalled him back from an impressive loan spell at Hartlepool United, but he fell out of favour under Gary Rowett after struggling for consistency.

The forward was left frustrated and sought a move away, having drawn links to other EFL clubs, and was eventually sold to Danish top tier side Odense, with Rowett suggesting that the forward needed a "change of environment" to get back to his best.

He's already tried and failed with Odense while the glimpses of his sparkling talent were not regular enough in South London. Williamson will hope that he can be the one to extract Burey's full potential, but Carlisle will have to get him tied down to a new deal if they want to make that happen.

Tyler Burey's Carlisle future could hinge on their other January business

The potentially season-ending shoulder injury that summer signing Archie Davies suffered earlier in the season left the Blues very short in his position. Academy product Jack Ellis has been used there at times, as has AFC Bournemouth loanee Dominic Sadi, but Burey has been the option that Williamson has predominantly turned to in Davies' absence.

It only feels natural that United will go after a right-sided wing-back in the new year to provide extra cover in this position. Burey's future with the club could depend on what they do with this position.

If they aren't able to find a viable option to go for in January, then surely they would keep hold of Burey, if they can.

Carlisle's struggles in front of goal could also help Burey's case for a longer-term deal. They have only scored three times in their last six league games. His ability to stretch defences and get in behind, something that United have struggled to do this season, could act as another lifeline for him and his career at Brunton Park.