Millwall backed for resisting Everton, Leicester City transfer interest in star - offers were "disrespectful" | OneFootball

Millwall supporters will be mightily relieved that Mihailo Ivanovic is still on the club's books

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…

After last season's near-miss on the Championship play-offs, there is plenty of intrigue as to how Millwall will perform during Alex Neil's first full campaign in charge at The Den.

There has been plenty of change in this part of South London in recent times, and a lot of it good, as the club have managed to reinvest the hefty fees secured for Romain Esse and Zian Flemming in the past two transfer windows, continuously smashing their transfer record when it comes to incomings.

Such a feat was achieved again this summer. Yet, despite the Lions acquiring Josh Coburn's signature on a record deal from second-tier rivals, Middlesbrough, much of the discourse in SE16 surrounded the immediate and long-term future of Mihailo Ivanovic, who has become the subject of strong top-flight interest after making a strong impression during his first year in English football.

Millwall FC stance offered amid "disrespectful" Premier League, European interest in Mihailo Ivanovic

The Serbian forward moved to The Den last summer in what was Neil Harris' final transfer window during his second stint in charge of the club, joining from Vojvodina for a then club-record fee of £2.8m.

After a slow start to Championship life, Ivanovic was eventually able to rekindle the goalscoring touch and flair which caught Millwall's eye in the first place, ending the 2024/25 season with a tally of 12 goals - including a well-documented scissor-kick against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road - before registering his maiden assist for the club in the recent 1-0 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

The likes of Lazio, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and fellow second-tier side, Leicester City, were all credited with interest throughout the summer as well as Serie A outfit, Parma, who were keen to pursue a deal at the very start and end of the transfer window.

After reportedly seeing a €10m bid rejected in July, the Italian club returned with a £7m bid on August 29th which, unsurprisingly, was also snubbed as the Lions demanded £15m for their prized asset - a sum which would trump the aforementioned Esse's move to Crystal Palace in January.

Despite late worries from some that Ivanovic would, like Japhet Tanganga, leave the club in the window's final days, Football League World's Millwall fan pundit, Lucas Ball, didn't have the same feeling towards the transfer saga.

"I didn't, to be honest, think that there was ever really that high-level interest in Mihailo Ivanovic," Ball told FLW. "There was just kind of brief bits of interest and really quite unserious bids from a number of teams.

"We were never going to let him go for some of the fees that were getting banded about," he claimed. "Bids of £6m, £7m and even less than that at times were, to be honest, disrespectful and felt like teams were taking the mick a bit.

"I don't think we ever had that serious interest. I think he's changed agents and that's been what's driven a lot of interest. Certainly a lot of transfer talk with Mihailo was driven by his agent rather than anyone else," Ball stated.

"I'm glad he's still with us. He's had a slightly inconsistent start to the season and is yet to get off the mark. But he got a nice assist at Sheffield United and played really well up there leading the line.

"Hopefully, now the window's over and his agent isn't creating as much of a distraction, he can really get into the work of the season and pick up some more goals and assists up top."

Mihailo Ivanovic retention is pivotal to Millwall's aims this Championship season

As Ball alluded to, now the window is closed, Ivanovic will be able to solely focus on on-pitch matters, at least until January, which is crucial to Millwall's aims under Neil this term.

Despite receiving a hefty fee for the aforementioned Tanganga, it would have been a major blow to the Lions' play-off ambitions if both the centre-back and their star striker were to both leave within days of each other, so it's no surprise to anyone why supporters are so relieved.

It has been an inconsistent start to the campaign not just for Ivanovic but for his current employers as a whole, having picked up maximum points away from home against Norwich City and Sheffield United, as well as suffering two defeats without reply at home to Middlesbrough and newly-promoted Wrexham.

Ivanovic is currently on international duty with Serbia's Under-21 side after previously gaining his first senior cap in March. Despite being away from the capital for two weeks, he will hope to get firing again for Millwall upon his return to club duties, which begins next weekend against Charlton Athletic in a local derby at The Valley.