Millwall aren’t famed for their academy but they have let some players slip through the net
Tim Cahill and Teddy Sheringham stand out as two of their greatest ever products, with the latter going on to score in a Champions League final and Cahill going on to become arguably Australia’s greatest ever player.
However, despite their success stories, there are some players recently who have slipped through the net – which fans of the London club won’t be happy with. Football League World takes a look at four players who they should have kept in hindsight.
Eberechi Eze
Starting off with the most agonising release of the bunch; and this one must surely hurt Millwall fans deep down. Eze was released by Arsenal as a youngster, and after floating around various clubs, he found himself at The Den.
He spent two years at the club which were situated not far from where he grew up in Greenwich – but at the aged of 16, he was back on the scrapheap, finding a home at Queens Park Rangers.
Even in his own words, Eze said that Millwall shouldn’t have released him in hindsight. He said to the FA amid his England call-up: “After getting released from Millwall, my confidence was low and you’re still trying to find your way. But I ended up signing a professional contract at QPR.
“When I look back at why I was released by those clubs, I guess ultimately it was because I wasn’t playing well enough at the time. I was maybe not expressing myself in the way that I am now.
“To be real, I don’t look back at any of the teams and say, ‘Oh, they shouldn’t have released me.’ That’s the decision they made at the time and it made sense for them. Of course, now it looks like they’ve made a mistake. But at the time, it was probably clear for them to make that decision. So, I don’t blame anyone, to be honest.”
With QPR reportedly set for a huge financial windfall if he does move to Manchester City having been linked with the treble winners over the summer, alongside their £20million fee when Eze moved to Crystal Palace, it will be a tough one for Millwall fans to take.
Samuel Edozie
Another player who could well be destined for the heights of the Premier League, Edozie joined Millwall as a kid – though he was shipped off to Manchester City.
He failed to make a first-team appearance for City in the league, only featuring in the Community Shield in 2021.
As is the case with a lot of Manchester City players at present, he joined Southampton last season, making 17 top-flight appearances, and he’s also played a prominent role this season as the Saints look to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
It’s tough to turn Manchester City down, but had Millwall dug their heels in, they’d have an England youth international in their ranks.
Darko Gyabi
Another player who went down a similar path, Gyabi left Millwall for Manchester City in the summer of 2018.
He was shipped out to Leeds at the same time Kalvin Phillips joined City, and whilst he’s only made a handful of appearances for the Whites, he continues to be involved in the England set-up – and you’d expect him to start more games for the Yorkshire in the not-so-distant future.
Fred Onyedinma
Onyedinma is the only player in this list who actually featured for Millwall’s first team, but after 120 appearances for the Lions, he was sent out to Wycombe Wanderers on a permanent deal back in 2019.
He was a key part of the side who were promoted to League One back in 2017, and eventually found his way to Luton – where his 16 appearances last season saw the Hatters promoted to the Premier League.
He’s still on the books at Kenilworth Road, but a loan spell at Rotherham has already seen two goals – and in a season where Millwall are struggling to put the ball in the back of the net, he could’ve been vital for them this campaign.
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