Why Wolves’ loss became Millwall's transfer jackpot - it transformed the Lions | OneFootball

Millwall experienced years of joy after taking one of Wolverhampton Wanderers' forgotten men

Millwall are currently in the midst of their 14th Championship campaign in the last 16 years, which highlights the consistency they have been able to display in that time.

The Lions’ fortunes have contrasted greatly in that time, spending a number of those seasons battling towards the bottom of the second-tier, whilst more recently putting together multiple play-off chasing campaigns.

Managers such as Neil Harris, Gary Rowett and Alex Neil have all taken charge of the East London outfit in that time and have had to use their tactical prowess to battle the financial might of some of their Championship competitors.

Millwall can’t simply outspend their rivals, so they have to be shrewd in the transfer market, constantly on the lookout for diamonds in the rough who could be potential stars of the future.

The Lions have managed to recruit such profiles successfully in the past, with one particular example proving why that market can be so important for clubs up and down the EFL.

Millwall struck gold with Jed Wallace transfer

In the early 2010s, Portsmouth were suffering immensely as a club with financial issues, which saw them suffer three relegations in four years, swapping their place in the top-flight for League Two.

Despite such a harrowing situation, there was one shining light throughout at Fratton Park. A young Jed Wallace had emerged as one of Pompey’s leading talents, netting 14 league goals during the 2014/15 campaign.

This earned him a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the forward couldn’t make a lasting impact at Molineux. As it became clear that Wallace’s future didn’t lie in the Black Country, Millwall stepped in twice to take him on loan.

He made an instant impact for the Lions, helping them achieve promotion from League One via the play-offs in 2017, which resulted in a permanent move to the Den that summer.

Wallace has never been a winger famed for his output. Instead, he has stuck to the touchline in a more traditional wide man role, looking to dribble past his opponents and create for the team.

Over time, his spirited performances helped Millwall establish themselves back in the Championship and begin to push further up the table towards the play-offs.

During his five years at The Den as a permanent signing, he scored 38 times but also provided 41 assists in a total of 225 games for the club.

The 2017/18, 2019/20 and 2021/22 seasons all saw Millwall push ferociously for a place in the top six, missing out by a slender margin each time despite Wallace’s best efforts.

It appeared like a serious promotion push just wasn’t to be and it soon became clear that the end of the former Portsmouth man’s time with the Lions was nigh.

Jed Wallace and Millwall divorce hasn’t ruined their legacy together

By 2022, the winger’s talent had become evident to outfits up and down the Championship and interest from some of the division’s leading contenders began to come to the fore.

Ultimately, Wallace would leave Millwall to join West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer, despite being previously given a £9 million price tag, which wasn’t a fitting end for a player and club who had achieved so much together.

However, a talent that Wolverhampton Wanderers had decided wasn’t fit for purpose proved them undeniably wrong, and his performances at the Den will live long in Millwall folklore.

Climbing from League One pretenders to regular Championship play-off challengers is quite the feat and Wallace was at the very heart of Millwall’s ability to achieve that.