Millwall are interested in making a move for QPR striker Matt Smith, according to a report from London News Online.
The 30-year-old is rumoured to be on the South London club’s summer transfer shortlist and may be looking for a way out of Loftus Road, after making just seven league starts last season.
The Lions could be looking at Smith as a replacement for Lee Gregory, who left the club at the end of his contract after turning down a new deal with the club.
Millwall narrowly avoided relegation last season, finishing in 21st, just four points above the relegation zone, and will be hoping to inject some quality into their squad this summer.
Bearing that in mind, we look at two pros and two cons of bringing Smith to the Den.
Pros
He’s used to life in the Championship.
Smith has made 185 appearances in the second flight of English football and has 42 Championship goals under his belt.
The 30-year-old is an experienced campaigner who is used to the physicality and intensity of the league, which means he should be able to adapt to life at Millwall fairly easily.
He fits their style of play.
The striker’s game is built around his size and physicality, which should mean he fits into the system under Neil Harris.
His aerial ability is of particular note and he averaged 5.6 aerials won per game last season, which puts him in the top 15 players in the Championship for that stat and is more than twice as many as Gregory–the man he is likely a replacement for.
Cons
He doesn’t have a great goalscoring record at this level.
Smith made his Championship debut for Leeds United in the 2013/14 season and, other than a loan spell with Bristol City in League One, has played in the league since, scoring more than 10 goals in a season only twice.
His record, 42 goals in 185 appearances, is not awful but shows a clear lack of consistency at this level, hardly an ideal characteristic for any striker.
He’s unlikely to get any better.
At 30 years old Smith is either coming to the end of his footballing prime or is just past it.
His game is not built around pace but he does rely on physicality and while Smith may look emulate players with a similar style of play like Aaron Wilbraham, who enjoyed an impressive twilight to his career, Millwall are unlikely to be getting any more than Smith has previously shown.