Millwall boss Gary Rowett has admitted that the Lions were indeed interested in signing Barnsley midfielder Alex Mowatt this month, with the South London Press reporting the news earlier today. 

The London based club have been in the market for a central midfield player this window, with Rowett having already seen a move for Jayson Molumby fail to come off after the Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder moved on loan to Preston North End instead.

It appears that the Championship outfit are casting their net wide in January as they look to move up the league standings in the second half of the campaign, with the Barnsley captain said to have been on their list.

Now it appears that Rowett has confirmed that the club were also in for Mowatt, who has impressed for the Tykes this term, with the experienced manager stating the following about the player:

“John [Berylson, owner] has backed us to try and strengthen the squad. That is all we can ask. We’ve got to try and find a solution but also we don’t want to bring three or four in who we don’t want long term.

“It is a really tricky balancing act. It’s about trying to get the right players. I think the likes of Mowatt have been mentioned – that’s the level we’ve tried to be at. But again it is not quite as easy as just putting a bid in and getting a player.”

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Having established himself at a key player at Oakwell since arriving back in 2017, Mowatt has been in fine form for the Yorkshire side, racking up four goals and two assists from a deep-lying midfield berth.

The Verdict 

Rowett's comments would appear to suggest that a move for Mowatt is now dead in the water, especially with there only being a few days left of the transfer window at the time of writing.

Maikel Kieftenbeld is reportedly set to sign fo0r the club from Birmingham City in the near future, which is a signing that should go a long way towards solving their midfield issues.

You have to admire the ambition from Millwall who have shown that they will pursue ambitious targets when the opportunities present themselves this month, with the likes of Mowatt and Molumby being players that would have added an extra bit of quality to the current squad.

However January is historically seen as a tough time to do business and it would have been alarming if the Tykes had indeed even entertained any offers for their skipper this month.