Millwall eye move for towering defender for less than £1m amid contract boost

Millwall are being linked with a move for a centre-back after receiving a big potential contract boost. The Lions are currently concentrating on their Championship play-off bid, going into the last two games just three points off sixth spot.

Alex Neil’s men realistically need to win both of their remaining games while also requiring favours elsewhere, needing Coventry City to lose one of their last two games and a six-goal swing if they pick up three points, while they also need Middlesbrough to pick up less points than them along the way. Boro are currently on the same points tally but with a significantly superior goal difference.

As Neil and his men concentrate on getting the job done on the pitch, the Lions’ recruitment staff will already be working on possible signings ahead of the summer, with such work often beginning early in the year.

One player Millwall are said to be interested ahead of the summer is Paderborn defender Calvin Brackelmann. According to Graeme Bailey, the 25-year-old centre-back has made 26 league appearances for his current club, previously spending time at FC Ingolstadt and VfB Lübeck. He originally came through at Koln, while he also spent time at Schalke’s second team.

According to Bailey via EFL Analyst, has claimed that Millwall, Middlesbrough and other Championship clubs are interested in the 6ft5” defender, who is under contract until 2026, making him potentially available this summer if Paderborn can’t agree a new deal with the German. Brackelmann is valued at £853.551 by Transfermarkt.

Neil has bemoaned injury issues over recent weeks, believing the luck - or lack thereof - the Lions have had has significantly impacted their season as they make a last-minute dash for the top six. Adding Brackelmann for a relatively low fee would be a smart way to add depth to the back line.

Mitchell boost

Elsewhere, Millwall will be desperate to keep hold of Billy Mitchell, who has been a regular this season, making 19 Championship appearances. The 24-year-old is highly valued by Neil, but a deal is yet to be agreed despite Mitchell’s contract being up this summer.

The good news is that Mitchell has spoken of his desire to stay at the club, hoping a deal is sorted out once the play-off bid, and indeed the current season, has concluded. The midfielder told South London News: “It doesn’t come into my head. I honestly don’t think about that. I know it will get dealt with at some point – and in the way it needs to. I know there is nothing I can really do about it apart from going out there and performing.

“Would I like to be here? Yeah, of course. I look at clubs around us in the Championship and we always have as good a chance as anyone of making the play-offs.”

Mitchell spent a long spell out with injury earlier in the season, and Millwall boss Neil said at the time: “The first time his mentality was unbelievable straightaway, this time it might take him time to get his head around it. In Billy’s case it’s always a hard one because whenever you put him out on the pitch he almost does more than he needs to do. That’s a compliment but also when he’s coming back from injury he has to learn his own body because sometimes you’ve got to feel your way back into it rather than being at the absolute of your limits.

“In his case it was just that over-exuberance of youth. Again, that’s a compliment about his character. If he’d stayed fit he would have been a huge addition for us at this point of the season.”

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