Currently sitting in eighth position in the Championship table, Millwall are once again primed to have a crack at the Championship play-off places in the second half of the 2022-23 campaign.

The Lions have always been around the top six since Gary Rowett's appointment in October 2019 to replace club icon Neil Harris, with finishes of eighth, 11th and ninth in the second tier standings, compared to some of the other clubs they have been competing with financially, is some effort.

Having seen Luton Town and Huddersfield make it into the play-offs last season though with small budgets, it is very possible for Millwall to be the next team to crack the top six, but that could rest on their January recruitment.

Millwall have been linked with some exciting players this month - let's look at TWO individuals who would be realistic acquisitions before February 1 and who would strengthen Rowett's hand.

 

 

 

 

Chiedozie Ogbene - Rotherham United

One player that Millwall have been linked with throughout the window so far is Ogbene, who has stepped up to the Championship with relative ease in a team that isn't known for being the most attacking.

Ogbene had played in the Championship before this season, albeit only on a few occasions for Brentford as a youngster and then 11 times for Rotherham in the 2020-21 season, but it was in League One in 2021-22 for the Millers where he really came into his own, primarily as a wing-back.

The 25-year-old has gone from strength-to-strength since becoming a Republic of Ireland international in 2021, and this season despite Rotherham sliding down the table he has been their main source of goals with seven goals in all competitions.

Despite playing as a striker for Rotherham this season, Ogbene's best position is undoubtably out wide, and there's a place up for grabs with George Honeyman being the workhorse currently out on the right and Tyler Burey occasionally bringing a spark off the bench.

Ogbene would offer a different kind of threat with his pace and his direct nature, so if Millwall can break the bank and perhaps go above £1 million for Ogbene, then they could land the Irishman.

Deniz Undav - Brighton & Hove Albion

Soccer Football - FA Cup Third Round - Middlesbrough v Brighton & Hove Albion - Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, Britain - January 7, 2023 Brighton & Hove Albion's Deniz Undav scores their fifth goal Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

A player who has known where the back of the net is wherever he's played, Undav made the move to England with Brighton at the start of this season officially after finishing off his stint at Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium, where he'd netted 26 times in 37 Belgian top flight matches.

The 26-year-old has barely had a sniff with the Seagulls though, playing just eight times in the Premier League this season with all of those being cameos off the bench, although he has scored in both the EFL Cup and FA Cup when the side has been rotated.

With teenager Evan Ferguson leaping above him in the pecking order under Roberto De Zerbi though, it could be time for Undav to go out on loan for the second half of the campaign, and per Football League World's exclusive, Millwall are one of the teams keen to bolster their attack with the German.

The likes of Sunderland, Blackburn and West Brom though are all reportedly interested too - Millwall's location though by being the closest to Brighton could sway it in their favour though if it comes down to a player decision - with the departure of Benik Afobe to Dubai there is a need to add to the attack this month and Undav would fit the bill.