Millwall manager Gary Rowett has admitted that the club will not be able to draft in a direct replacement for Jed Wallace this summer due to the fact that he is a unique player.
Wallace opted to turn down a contract offer from the Lions to secure a move to West Bromwich Albion yesterday.
As confirmed by the Baggies' official website, the winger has put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal which will keep him at The Hawthorns until 2026.
During his time at Millwall, Wallace produced a host of impressive performances for the club as he established himself as a key member of their squad.
Despite missing a number of games due to injury last season, the 28-year-old still managed to find the back of the net on six occasions in the Championship whilst he also chipped in with 12 assists.
Given that Millwall will not be able to call upon the services of Wallace and Benik Afobe in the upcoming campaign, they will need to bolster their attacking options this summer.
Making reference to Wallace's departure, Rowett has admitted that the Lions will not be able to sign a like-for-like replacement for him.
Speaking to London News Online, the Millwall boss said: "I don't think you can replace Jed like-for-like.
"He is quite a unique player with quite a unique style.
"Jed is a team player but he is also very individual as well in the way he plays.
"He plays with a freedom and he plays quite loose, at times, on and off the ball, because that is what we've needed to do to get the best out of him,
"What we have to do is try to improve the team, and all aspects of it, so that maybe we are a bit tighter as a unit and as a group - and we do things with a bit more synergy.
"Of course we have to replace his goals and assists.
"It's funny really, I think we'll probably miss Jed's assists and goal involvements - along with the lift he would give us in matches that you need at times - more than his goals.
"If you take the penalties out it wasn't ridiculous, the amount of goals he was scoring."
The Verdict
When you consider just how effective Wallace was in the Championship for Millwall, Rowett may have to sign several players in order to sufficiently fill the void left by the winger.
In the 210 games that he participated in at this level for the Lions, Wallace demonstrated that he is capable of setting the second-tier alight by scoring 37 goals and providing 39 assists.
With Millwall set to face Stoke City on July 30th, they will need to act relatively quickly when it comes to making moves for players.
Providing that Rowett is able to secure the services of some classy operators, there is no reason why his side cannot go on to achieve a relative amount of success in the absence of Wallace.