'Very good' player 'rejected' Tottenham to agree Millwall contract

Millwall beat Premier League competition to land one of their transfer targets this summer, according to reports. The Lions have had a frustrating start to the season so far, losing 4-3 and 3-2.

While there have been positives aplenty, Neil Harris will be concerned with the amount of goals his side are conceding, and indeed their inability to see out results. But it’s always a process at the start of the season, and recruitment is not yet finished with the summer window remaining open until the end of the month.

Millwall are still shopping for players who can make an immediate impact, but they are also looking to invest in their future. Along those lines, Celtic starlet Daniel Kelly is now set to be snapped up, following recent reports that the youngster had rejected a new Celtic contract to agree a deal with Millwall. Neil Harris has since confirmed the deal.

The deal won’t come into effect until the start of January, with Kelly’s contract with Celtic not expiring until the end of December. The deal will be a free transfer, and it looks to be a real coop for the Lions, with Kelly having already racked up four league appearances for Celtic at the age of 18, scoring once. He also has six appearances for Scotland at under-19s level.

Interestingly, Football Insider claim Millwall beat Tottenham to the signing, with Kelly reportedly rejecting advances from Spurs to agree a deal with the Lions. After struggling for first team game time with Celtic, it seems Kelly has prioritised game time in searching for a new club.

What Harris has said

Speaking during the week, Millwall boss Harris confirmed: “Dan has agreed to join the club. A deal has been agreed and he has signed. He officially joins us in January. He is a young player that falls into the mould of Romain, Aidomo and Alfie – that we think has got huge potential.

“The board want us to be that football club. The football club wants to evolve and sign younger players. Jimmy (Berylson) wants me to give younger players an opportunity, as I did last season and I’ve done in the past with Fred, Aiden and Ben Thompson. With Jed Wallace, George Saville and Jake Cooper. We want to be that football club that brings players in and gives them that opportunity. It is the only way for us as a football club to evolve and develop is by playing younger players and adding value to the squad.

“You will see more younger players come into the building but I, better than anybody, but also the board understands that if you’re going to have younger players then you need real Millwall experience as well. That is real leadership qualities and good Millwall men. We have got some really good Millwall men at the moment, so it’s a good time for us to add younger players. He (Kelly) is a very good player. When Dan first walks into the building he is not going to be someone that everyone should expect to go straight into the team.

“He is very young but everyone should take heart that they’ve seen Alfie Massey make his debut tonight and it was an outstanding performance. Dan is a box-to-box midfielder, probably an old-fashioned eight, who has great energy. I’d liken him to a young George Saville when he first came into the football club – breaks into the box and scores goals. He has got passion and real aggression to his play.”