Millwall FC must rue £2m transfer mistake along with these 4 others | OneFootball

The Lions won’t look back on these deals with too much fondness

Millwall have never been known as one of the biggest spenders in England since transfer fees have become inflated within the modern game.

But that doesn’t mean they’ve avoided signings that, with hindsight, weren’t quite the right fit at The Den.

That includes one man that cost a significant seven-figure fee just a couple of seasons ago, all the way back to a signing from the 90s that lasted just a season at the club.

Here, Football League World takes a look at five transfer mistakes from Millwall’s past that they will not want to replicate anytime soon.

Kevin Nisbet

Kevin Nisbet is thought to have set Millwall back a cool £2 million in the summer of 2023, having notched 12 goals in 20 appearances for Hibernian in the previous season.

His first season in the Championship wasn’t the worst, plundering five goals in 27 outings, but hit problems when former boss Neil Harris left him out, citing a “disciplinary matter about culture and standards".

Things could still turn around for Nisbet at Millwall, but after significant investment to bring him in, having him back out on loan after a year at Aberdeen - where he's not pulling up any trees either - feels like money that could have been better spent elsewhere.

Tom Elliott

Tom Elliott looked like an exciting signing when he joined from AFC Wimbledon in 2017, having notched 13 goals for the club in the previous season.

Elliott had progressed through the leagues after dropping into non-league and was making the next jump with Millwall, but it may have been one step too far.

In two Championship seasons with the Lions, Elliott notched just seven league goals.

He arrived on a free, so it won’t have set Millwall back too much, but after manager Harris seemed excited by his arrival, it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

Rob Hulse

Millwall signed Rob Hulse on loan in January 2013, after letting striker Darius Henderson go in the same window.

Henderson had notched fifteen goals in the previous season and was up to seven when he moved to Nottingham Forest, so Hulse had big boots to fill.

Hulse came in as the temporary replacement with strong Championship pedigree, but failed to score in 11 league outings and retired once the loan spell was up.

Jiri Skalak

The Lions signed Jiri Skalak from Brighton for an undisclosed fee in 2017 while the winger was a Czechia international.

It was an exciting signing for a Championship side on paper, but it would not prove to be a fruitful one.

In just over two second tier seasons, Skalak made just 29 appearances and scored two goals.

Following that spell, Skalak was released from his Millwall contract for nothing and returned to the Czechia first tier, where he has played ever since.

John Colquhoun

Less-than-ideal transfers are nothing new at Millwall, and one from the history books they will regret is John Colquhoun.

He signed from Hearts for a fee of £400,000 in August 1991, but Colquhoun only turned out for one season with the Lions, scoring four goals, before being sold for almost half the price under 12 months later.