FC Emmen have announced the signing of Maikel Kieftenbeld after the midfielder opted against extending his time at Millwall. 

Millwall had been in negotiations with Keiftenbeld over new terms with the hope of extending his time at The Den, however the Dutchman has opted for a return back to his home country with FC Emmen.

Kieftenbeld would have been a free agent at the end of the month, but has now opted to move to FC Emmen rather than extend his time with the Lions.

The 31-year-old made 27 appearances last season and leaves Gary Rowett with more recruiting to do with five loanees returning to their parents clubs, and Alex Pearce, Conor Mahoney and most likely Jed Wallace all departing on a free transfer.

Kieftenbeld became a cult favourite at Birmingham City having been originally signed by Gary Rowett in 2015 before moving to Millwall in January 2021, going onto make 38 appearances for the Lions.

Having completed his move to Emmen - who won promotion to the Dutch top-flight during the 2021/22 season - Kaiftenbeld has signed a two-year contract, with his new side holding the option to extend that deal by a further 12 months.

The Verdict

Rowett will be disappointed to see Kieftenbeld leave but you can't fault the Dutchman's reasoning.

It does leave Millwall with more recruitment to do as they lose an effective squad player and one that will most certainly need to be replaced.

It won't be too much of a headache and it should give them extra space in their playing budget to find the right player to replace the ball winning midfielder.