Millwall FC told to beat Stoke City, Preston to Brighton transfer agreement - 'it makes sense for all parties' | OneFootball

Millwall are one of several Championship clubs that are interested in signing Brighton winger Tom Watson on loan this January

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Millwall have expressed an interest in signing Brighton and Hove Albion winger Tommy Watson on loan this January, but face competition from several other EFL Championship clubs in the race for his signature.

Under Alex Neil, Millwall are well within the hunt for a top-six finish in the Championship this season.

The Lions narrowly missed out on a play-off spot last campaign, finishing on the same amount of points at 6th placed Bristol City, with only an inferior goal difference letting them down.

Now, they are looking to rewrite the wrongs of last year by going one better, and are well on course to achieve that goal this time around.

Neil's side appears to be searching for reinforcements before the end of the January window, who he hopes can make the difference come the end of the season, having been linked with Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and Brighton winger Tom Watson.

However, Millwall face competition from the likes of Stoke City, Preston North End, and Bristol City in the race for the youngsters' signature, as per TEAMtalk, though Neil will be hoping he can fend off interest from elsewhere to secure the services of the 20-year-old before the window slams shut.

Millwall face competition in the race for Tom Watson's signature this month

Football League World's Millwall fan pundit, Lucas, has provided their thoughts on the potential deal for Watson, and whether they think the 20-year-old could be the catalyst to fire them towards promotion.

Lucas said, "To be honest, it's an area that I've been advocating for a signing in. So yeah, I'm really happy with the news that we're interested in Tommy Watson."Obviously, he had a decent campaign in the Championship last year, scoring the winning goal in the play-off final. So, you know, hopefully he can step up in the big moments as well, of which I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for us between now and the end of the season."I think Thierno Ballo's come in and probably not shown quite enough. Emakhu hasn't had the best season, and he's out of contract in the summer. Azeez has played out on the left, but is much better on the right. Camiel Neghli is probably better through the middle. In terms of our wide options, it's a deal that makes sense for all parties."Brighton will want Watson to get game time; he'll want game time. We should be able to offer that on the left-hand side. You know, a team that is thriving at the top end of the Championship. In working under a good manager, Alex Neil, I think there's lots to like about it from all sides."Obviously, whether it materialises, there's an awful lot of clubs interested in him, but I think he had something probably a little bit different, probably not the same type of winger as a Femi Azeez, for example, but that might be a positive in offering us something different from the left, probably a bit more technical."Azeez is very good, his crossing certainly and finishing have come on tenfold this season and lifted him to one of the best wingers in the Championship."So, if we can have anything close to that on the opposite flank, which gives us more options and Alex Neil certainly more ways to attack games, because at the moment we can be a little bit too reliant on Azeez when he is missing, we sometimes do see that. So, yeah, fingers crossed it gets done."

Millwall and Alex Neil have their sights firmly set on a top-six finish in the Championship this season

Following last season's disappointment of missing out on a play-off place on the final day, Neil and Millwall will be more than eager to make amends this time around, and it's looking increasingly likely that they will do so.

The Lions, whilst neither especially prolific in front of goal nor watertight in defence, have proven to be a tricky opponent for almost every side in the division at this stage.

Femi Azeez has been their standout performer off the right flank at this stage in the campaign, though each of Tristan Crama, Alfie Doughy, and Caleb Taylor have all impressed from the back.

The addition of Watson would only serve to boost Millwall's promotion prospects, and if they can fend off fellow Championship interest, they must be considered as one of the favourites to achieve a top-six finish this season.