Latest news with #Millwall
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ex-Ireland U21 man's big impact moments before coming off in Millwall friendly
Former Ireland Under-21 striker Aidomo Emakhu has continued his impressive start to pre-season with Millwall, with a fine display in Friday's friendly against Spanish side Elche at the Pinitar Arena. The 21-year-old laid on an assist for Luke Cundle right on the hour mark to put the Lions one-up against the side that last season won promotion back to La Liga. According to a report on the Millwall website, Emakhu advanced into the box before delivering a ball that was tucked home by Cundle. It was Emakhu's last action of the game, as Millwall boss Alex Neil made 11 substitutions immediately after the goal, fielding an entirely different team for the final half-hour. Unfortunately for Emakhu and the rest of the players that went off, they could only look on as Elche mounted a comeback, scoring twice to claim the win. For the Dubliner, however, it was another opportunity to stake his claim for a starting spot next season. Emakhu made 27 appearances last term, including 24 in the Championship. A groin injury picked up during the busy Christmas period saw him sidelined for the first two months of Neil's reign. However, he fought his way back into the side and made 15 appearances during the remainder of the campaign, including four starts. Millwall signed the forward from Shamrock Rovers in January 2023, after Emakhu made 46 appearances for the Hoops and scored six goals, including three in Europe. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Millwall want to keep best players
Millwall expect Japhet Tanganga and Mihailo Ivanovic to remain at the club this summer and are not looking to sell any of their current players, head coach Alex Neil has said. Both players have been linked with moves away from the Championship club but Neil said he did not pay too much attention to the speculation. George Saville, George Honeyman, Aaron Connolly and Murray Wallace have departed the club so far in the off-season. Josh Coburn and Zak Sturge's loan moves from Middlesbrough and Chelsea respectively have been made permanent, while the Lions have also signed goalkeeper Max Crocombe from Burton Albion. When asked if Tanganga, who made 43 appearances in all competitions for Millwall last season, would still be at the club for their Championship opener at Norwich City on Saturday, 9 August, Neil said "I hope so". "I don't think there's anything at the moment that suggests otherwise for us. "I know there's a lot of speculation, as there always is, whether it be Japhet, or Mihailo [Ivanovic] or anybody else, there's little bits that are doing the rounds," he told BBC Radio London. "But we're focused on trying to be the best version of ourselves in terms of trying to retain our best players. "We're not naïve. We're not actively looking to sell anyone. We want to grow and build on this season. "But equally, if somebody comes in with offers that are way beyond what we would maybe have on a valuation of a player, then certain decisions may well get made." Millwall sign Chelsea's Sturge for undisclosed fee Josh Coburn reflects on his time at Middlesbrough Millwall sign Boro's Coburn for 'club record' fee Sturge a 'really good young and upcoming left-back' Sturge, 21, made five appearances on loan from Chelsea at the back end of last season. He has signed a "long-term" contract and Neil believes he can provide strong competition with Joe Bryan at left-back. "He broke in towards the tail end of last year and I think with every game he played he gained confidence, he gained understanding," Neil said. "He's good on the ball, he's athletic, he's got a good manner about him – he's a nice lad – he trains hard. "I think what we'll try and do is give him more game exposure and get more game understanding and experience into him. And I think when he puts those bits together then we're hopeful we've got a really good young and upcoming left-back." Millwall signed Coburn in a club-record deal from Boro after the striker formed a strong partnership with Ivanovic and scored five goals in 21 games last season. "He's got different qualities and strengths to all the other forwards we've got. He's more of a target, he can take the ball on, he can score a goal, he can run," Neil said. "Our job is to try and help him put his game together in terms of his link-up [play], his timing of his runs, his effectiveness in front of goal, and I think when he does that he'll be a real force to be reckoned with in the Championship." Neil said Millwall planned to make further signings before the season kicks off next month. He warned all players would need to earn their place in the team, regardless of their potential or how much money had been paid to bring them to the club. "It's a 50:50 relationship. We will spend a lot of time trying to develop and help you, we'll teach you in terms of tactics and work on your technique. And the other 50% has got to come from them," he added. "Nobody gets a free ride. Nobody gets in the team because we've signed you to try to make you better. "Your job is to turn up every day, you perform, you try as hard you can. That doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to play well every game, but what we're not going to do is bring you in and, if you play one or two bad games, discard you."
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Millwall want to keep best players
Millwall expect Japhet Tanganga and Mihailo Ivanovic to remain at the club this summer and are not looking to sell any of their current players, head coach Alex Neil has players have been linked with moves away from the Championship club but Neil said he did not pay too much attention to the Saville, George Honeyman, Aaron Connolly and Murray Wallace have departed the club so far in the Coburn and Zak Sturge's loan moves from Middlesbrough and Chelsea respectively have been made permanent, while the Lions have also signed goalkeeper Max Crocombe from Burton asked if Tanganga, who made 43 appearances in all competitions for Millwall last season, would still be at the club for their Championship opener at Norwich City on Saturday, 9 August, Neil said "I hope so"."I don't think there's anything at the moment that suggests otherwise for us. "I know there's a lot of speculation, as there always is, whether it be Japhet, or Mihailo [Ivanovic] or anybody else, there's little bits that are doing the rounds," he told BBC Radio London."But we're focused on trying to be the best version of ourselves in terms of trying to retain our best players."We're not naïve. We're not actively looking to sell anyone. We want to grow and build on this season. "But equally, if somebody comes in with offers that are way beyond what we would maybe have on a valuation of a player, then certain decisions may well get made." Sturge a 'really good young and upcoming left-back' Sturge, 21, made five appearances on loan from Chelsea at the back end of last has signed a "long-term" contract and Neil believes he can provide strong competition with Joe Bryan at left-back."He broke in towards the tail end of last year and I think with every game he played he gained confidence, he gained understanding," Neil said. "He's good on the ball, he's athletic, he's got a good manner about him – he's a nice lad – he trains hard."I think what we'll try and do is give him more game exposure and get more game understanding and experience into him. And I think when he puts those bits together then we're hopeful we've got a really good young and upcoming left-back."Millwall signed Coburn in a club-record deal from Boro after the striker formed a strong partnership with Ivanovic and scored five goals in 21 games last season."He's got different qualities and strengths to all the other forwards we've got. He's more of a target, he can take the ball on, he can score a goal, he can run," Neil said. "Our job is to try and help him put his game together in terms of his link-up [play], his timing of his runs, his effectiveness in front of goal, and I think when he does that he'll be a real force to be reckoned with in the Championship."Neil said Millwall planned to make further signings before the season kicks off next warned all players would need to earn their place in the team, regardless of their potential or how much money had been paid to bring them to the club."It's a 50:50 relationship. We will spend a lot of time trying to develop and help you, we'll teach you in terms of tactics and work on your technique. And the other 50% has got to come from them," he added."Nobody gets a free ride. Nobody gets in the team because we've signed you to try to make you better."Your job is to turn up every day, you perform, you try as hard you can. That doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to play well every game, but what we're not going to do is bring you in and, if you play one or two bad games, discard you."
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Who is Borna Sosa and why have Crystal Palace signed him?
It didn't take Borna Sosa long to demonstrate why Crystal Palace have bought him. In the first half of Saturday's 1-0 win against Championship neighbours Millwall, Palace's opening pre-season friendly, his in-swinging corner was headed back to him. Sosa took a touch to pluck the ball out of the air and control it, adjusted his body and flicked in a dangerous cross with the outside of his boot, only for team-mate Jesurun Rak-Sakyi to guide it over the crossbar. Advertisement Later in the half, Adam Wharton received a pass in the middle, spotted a run Sosa was making into Millwall territory and played a ball ahead of a colleague so new he'd only signed the previous day, for just £2million ($2.7m), from leading Dutch club Ajax. Sosa quickly shifted it out of his feet and crossed again, this time wrapping his foot around the ball, and found Jean-Philippe Mateta, who glanced a header wide of the goal. It was an otherwise unremarkable start to Palace's programme of five warm-up games ahead of the coming season but those were two of the day's more notable moments and served as an excellent representation of the fact that crossing is such a staple of the 27-year-old's game. To be compared with David Beckham is to immediately prompt raised eyebrows. It is easy to see why the comparison was made by Stuttgart's then sporting director Sven Mislintat when speaking about Sosa, Palace's new left wing-back, during his five years with the German club; the flowing blond hair held back by an Alice band is a bit of a giveaway. Far more relevant, though, is the impeccable accuracy and danger levels of his crossing and set-piece deliveries. That, though, is where the similarities tend to end between Sosa, who is left-footed, and the right-footed former England, Real Madrid and Manchester United star — who, according to Mislintat, is the Croatia international's idol. For Palace, this transfer finally presents a possible solution to an issue that has nagged at them for the past four years. Tyrick Mitchell, so dependable as a left-back and a player who has adapted impressively to the wing-back role under manager Oliver Glasner since his appointment 18 months ago, has had no cover or competition for his place since Patrick van Aanholt left the south London side in July 2021. Advertisement It is testament to Mitchell's work rate, fitness and professionalism that he has held his own over that time as Palace prioritised other areas. But, until Ben Chilwell's loan from Chelsea in January, he was their only option at the position. Mitchell played 37 times in the Premier League last season and has missed just six games in total over the four seasons. There has been nobody to come in when he played through minor injury, nor to push him to be more confident in attacking situations. Now, that should change. Sosa's arrival represents good value for money as a squad player, which is how Palace view him. His reputation has diminished somewhat since the days he was attracting interest from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund while in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart, but he has 26 caps for Croatia. An underwhelming 2023-24 debut season in the Netherlands led to a season-long loan at Torino, but the Serie A side did not see enough to warrant exercising their option to make the move permanent this summer. He had joined Ajax in the same summer that Mislintat began work as their sporting director, but the Amsterdam club operated primarily in a 4-3-3 setup which did not suit Sosa, given it required him to take on considerably more defensive responsibilities. Going forward is where his talents lie. Excellent on the ball and capable of crossing high and wide or low and narrow, he offers plenty in such situations. He is able to get beyond defenders but tends to prefer to cross, and is excellent at finding space to enable him to do so, rather than attacking the penalty area and driving into space. His carry progression last season with Torino placed him in only the 13th percentile relative to other left-backs in Serie A (87 per cent of them did better), strongly highlighting his preference to move the ball out from his feet and cross or pass over progressing it up the pitch. On the ball he is strong, with passing accuracy and intelligence considered to be a key part of his game, alongside good set-piece ability. In 2022-23, his final season with Stuttgart, Sosa attempted (255) and completed (80) the most crosses, and created the most chances (25) from such deliveries, of any Bundesliga player. Only Bayern duo Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman accumulated more expected assists per 90 minutes. With Torino, though, his creative output was not especially high, putting him in the 16th percentile. Mitchell, in contrast, was in the 86th percentile, although that may be in part due to the respective styles and performances of the two clubs. Sosa's role in attack beyond crossing tends to be helping his team-mates by creating space off the ball. Defensively, there are question marks. Sosa struggles to prevent opposition attackers from progressing beyond him and can also find it difficult to recover quickly, therefore potentially exposing his team's defence — although last season he was above average with his one-v-one defending success rate. He is familiar with the high-pressing approach from his days in the Bundesliga and his ability to play higher up the pitch will suit Palace's system under Glasner. Advertisement The Dinamo Zagreb academy graduate is considered to be someone who is outstanding at the things he does well, but otherwise has limitations. Palace must keep an eye on the recruitment strategy that has served them well in recent seasons and identify younger talent to improve. They would argue, though, that bringing in such apparently reliable and cheap cover allows them to spend more lavishly elsewhere to attract those more youthful players. They consider Sosa to be sufficient backup for Mitchell and strong value for money. It is a signing in keeping with that of goalkeeper Walter Benitez, who joined on a free transfer after his contract with Dutch champions PSV expired this summer — opportunistic and a good-value way to provide cover in an area where it was required. Yet if Sosa can step up to the level of the Premier League and Glasner can bring the best out of him, Palace may have found a competitor for Mitchell at a bargain price.
Leader Live
5 days ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Evans happy to be up and running in Wrexham pre-season
The midfielder sustained ankle ligament damage on his first League One start of the season when Wrexham lost 1-0 at Stevenage on October 1 and required surgery. After a spell on the sidelines, Evans returned to the fold but only made two substitute appearances in the league after the turn of the year along with three starts in the EFL Trophy. With only one start and six run-outs off the bench all campaign in the third tier, Evans only played a bit-part as Wrexham finished runners-up behind Birmingham City to secure an historic third successive promotion. But Evans hopes to put that behind him and he scored the final goal as the Reds beat Melbourne Victory 3-0 at Marvel Stadium in the opening game of the pre-season tour Down Under on Friday. The 30-year-old, who was a regular in League Two in 2023-24 after joining from Millwall, told the club's YouTube channel: "Last year was obviously frustrating for me. "I picked the ankle injury up and (took a) a bit of time coming back into it. "But I have come back ready in pre-season and hopefully fighting for a chance, and getting a goal was a nice little bonus." Tom O'Connor gave Wrexham the lead at the break against Melbourne and after Parkinson named a difference side for the second half, summer signing Ryan Hardie and Evans scored to seal a comfortable win. "It was a really good work-out for us," said Evans. "They are the most successful team in Australia so we had tough opposition to go up to and we showed some good quality. "It was a really good run-out for us and obviously delighted to get the 3-0 win as well. "We showed things that got us promoted last year. "The work ethic and the togetherness, for the full 90 minutes we worked on getting the ball back as quickly as possible and I think we have shown a really good team performance." The second game of the tour takes place this morning with Wrexham staying in Australia to face Sydney FC - another A-League side - at The Allianz Stadium (10:30am kick-off). "We are excited to go," said Evans, who has also played in the Championship for Reading and Derby County as well as Millwall. "We had a great time in Melbourne and we are ready to kick-on in Sydney. "We have got another tough opposition there which will be a good work-out for us and I am really excited to get going." Wrexham head to New Zealand for the final friendly against Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium on Saturday morning and Evans is enjoying the trip. "It has been amazing," he said. "The place has been great and we have had some amazing experiences over here."
