My Stockport County transfer deadline day dreams involves out-of-favour Millwall man | OneFootball

Stockport County’s dream end to the transfer window would involved some heavy firepower in attack

The summer transfer window saw highly-coveted striker Macaulay Langstaff move from Notts County to Millwall.

Since arriving in the capital, however, he’s struggled both for minutes and for goals when he has been given a chance.

Stockport County have just lost 15-goal forward Louie Barry, leaving much of the goalscoring pressure on the shoulders of players like Kyle Wootton.

To relieve that burden, there could be a route to a short-term deal that works for all parties, and it’s be a dream close to the transfer window for Hatters fans.

Langstaff has had a difficult start at Millwall

The Lions reportedly paid around £700k for the services of Langstaff, a significant fee for a 27-year-old who had never played higher than League Two at the time.

And it hasn’t been the easiest start for the English forward, making 27 Championship appearances, just 14 starts, and managing only a single goal.

That’s a significant difference from the player who last season netted 28 times for Notts County in League Two, and a mind-blowing 41 goals in 45 games in the National League the season before.

It’s clear that Langstaff knows where the net is, but it appears he needs to re-find his shooting boots, and perhaps his confidence, to kick on with his new side.

There's a lot of pressure on Stockport County’s forwards

And that’s where the Hatters could come in and help out, whilst boosting their own season.

Their top scorer, by some distance, is Louie Barry, who netted 15 goals in League One for County. He has now, however, been recalled by parent club Aston Villa and shipped back out to Hull City.

That’s a lot of goals for the rest of the squad to make up and, with the next highest scorer, Kyle Wootton, on six goals, it’s a lot of strain for a player like him to take on his shoulders.

A short-term deal for Langstaff could relieve that pressure if he could come in, at a lower level, and get back to the unstoppable form he was showing with the Magpies.

If it works out, County have a greater chance of retaining their play-off place thanks to the increased goal threat, and any goal Langstaff scores will be working towards either boosting his value or increasing his confidence for when he goes back to The Den.

County have a good recent history with Millwall business

It wouldn’t be the first time the Hatters did productive business with Millwall.

They signed Tanto Olaofe from the Lions midway through the 2022/23 season, who had a similarly slow start at Edgeley Park, netting just three times in the second half of the campaign that he arrived in.

But he hit the ground running in 2023/24, rampaging to 20 League Two goals, which played a vital role in County’s ultimate fourth-tier title triumph.

If County did manage to land a Langstaff goal, they would undoubtedly hope for a spell just as productive as that.

A Langstaff loan would surely be a difficult move to pull off, but there are potential benefits for all parties, and it would be a dream end to the January transfer window for Hatters fans.