Millwall skipper Morison: Only one player has played to his potential as he assesses January transfer window

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Steve Morison knows Millwall need reinforcements in the January transfer window – and reckons only Lee Gregory has performed to potential in the current squad.

The Lions are likely to move for an experienced centre-back and a striker next month. Tom Bradshaw, a seven-figure purchase from Barnsley in the summer, is out until next season with cruciate knee ligament damage.

Club captain Morison, speaking before the Boxing Day win over Reading, said: “He has come in to compete with Gregs, who is arguably the only one who can stand here with his head held high right now.

“If you look at the players we used on Saturday at Preston it was every single fit member of the squad. I’m sure the manager will be looking [in the transfer window], especially with the way some of us have played in the first half of the sason.

“He has every right to bring in new faces and make changes if changes are needed.”

Millwall have been linked with a loan move for Norwich winger Ben Marshall, who was a big success during a temporary stint in SE16 last season but ended up leaving Wolves for Carrow Road. 

“Everyone would have liked to have had Ben in the summer but you can’t compete with someone like Norwich,” said Morison. 

“I’m sure the gaffer is well-decided on what he needs for the rest of the season. We need faces, don’t we? Because we brought someone [Bradshaw] in to be new, he had to wait for his chance and now his chance has gone.

“We won’t see him until next season. He was waiting for Gregs to have a bad run but he hasn’t had a bad run. Then came the injury. It’s football, isn’t it? It sounds so harsh. Look at Webby [Byron Webster] last season – he played 90 minutes [with a knee injury] and then wasn’t seen for nine months. You just can’t believe it. Tom came on for five minutes [at Brentford], I’m not sure he even touched the ball once in that game and he does his cruciate. He’ll be like a new signing in the summer.”    

Morison reckons it would take a club record fee to prise Jake Cooper, pictured above, away from The Den after the centre-back signed a new long-term contract last week. George Saville’s £7million switch to Middlesbrough set a new high at the end of August.

“We all know that if someone wants to buy him [Cooper] then they can buy him,” said Morison. “But they are going to have to pay a lot of money.

“It’s good for Jake. A little bit of stability for him, makes him feel good because the club are showing they want him to be here.

“He has been one of our standout performers in the last two seasons. Sav was fantastic for us last season – money talks at the end of the day.

“If someone comes and puts £15m on the table for Coops then he’s going to be going, new contract or not.

“For the near future he is going to be here. He is massive for us. 

“He is a giant centre-half who scores goals and has got a great left foot. If he improves more he’ll be breaking those kind of records [Millwall’s biggest sale] as well.”