West Brom's Jed Wallace hails unsung Millwall hero - he's been "outstanding" for Lions | OneFootball

Tristan Crama has gained plenty of plaudits since moving to The Den

Former Millwall winger and current West Bromwich Albion captain Jed Wallace has sung the praises of Lions defender Tristan Crama for his array of consistent performances at the heart of his side's defence.

The Albion man was reviewing the weekend's Championship action as a guest on the well-known NTT20 podcast with Ali Maxwell, with the aforementioned Frenchman pinpointed as one of the players across the second tier who has made a significant impression on not just supporters of Millwall and their 23 other league rivals, but also his peers across the division.

Alex Neil's side have made a somewhat inconsistent start to the current term after narrowly missing out on the play-offs during the Scot's first half-season in charge after replacing Neil Harris, as they currently find themselves in the higher echelons of the mid-table region, albeit the standings are, unsurprisingly, rather congested at this stage of the campaign.

The side from South London played out a 1-1 draw away at Swansea City on Saturday afternoon, with record signing Josh Coburn's first goal since making a loan switch from Middlesbrough permanent cancelling out Zan Vipotnik's 12th-minute opener for Alan Sheehan's side at the Swansea.Com Stadium.

Regardless of the mixed bag of results, the Lions have remained extremely watertight in defence despite the well-documented loss of Japhet Tanganga, who has since become temporary captain of Sheffield United shortly after his Bramall Lane switch following Chris Wilder's third homecoming.

Crama joined the club back in January from fellow London outfit, Brentford, after initially impressing during a loan stint with Exeter City in League One, penning a long-term deal at The Den in the process.

The 23-year-old's ability to play at full-back or centre-half has been a useful asset to Neil since his arrival, adequately filling the major void left by Tanganga, and that has certainly not gone unnoticed by Wallace.

Wallace made 260 appearances for Millwall between 2016 and 2022, scoring 42 times and posting a further 49 assists before joining his current employers initially under the management of Steve Bruce.

Unsurprisingly, the man who became a cult hero for his consistent performances out wide under Neil Harris and Gary Rowett remains in strong contact with the likes of current Lions captain Jake Cooper, who he featured alongside hundreds of times in SE16.

The 31-year-old went on to reference the change in style he has noticed in recent times at The Den, as the club have heavily reinvested significant transfer fees for Romain Esse and Zian Flemming into the likes of Crama, Coburn, Camiel Neghli and Mihailo Ivanovic, before heaping strong praise on the French defender for his consistency.

"The one that impresses me every time I watch him play is Crama," Wallace stated. "I think he's been outstanding.

"For me, he looks like one of the best centre-halves in the division," the ex-Lions man claimed.

"He's 6 foot 4/6 foot 5, even when he's played at right-back, he's bombing down the wings. I think he's one that's been fantastic (for them)."

Tristan Crama will hope to continue strong Millwall form as Lions mount play-off bid

As Wallace alluded to, at 6"4, Crama possesses several attributes that make him such a well-rounded defender either out wide or in the centre of the Millwall rearguard.

Last season, the Beziers-born man accumulated two assists in his first 20 league appearances for the club, and has already posted an assist this term for the aforementioned Neghli in the 2-1 win at Norwich City on the opening day of the campaign.

Since Tanganga's departure, he has fitted in seamlessly alongside Cooper, providing even more aerial dominance against opposition strikers, which has continued to make Neil's side a tough nut to crack.

If such strong form and praise continues, it would be no surprise to see top-flight sides express an interest in the defender as time goes on.

Meanwhile, it isn't exactly long before Wallace will hope Crama has an off-day against his current side, as the Baggies travel to the capital on Saturday afternoon as they look to restore momentum after a frustrating run of recent results.