Millwall have struck gold with £1m signing – he’s worth 3x that at least now | OneFootball

Millwall struck gold with the signing of Femi Azeez from Reading for £1 million and he is now worth a lot more than that.

It may have taken a little longer than expected nor wanted, but it is now proven to be the case that Millwall struck gold with the £1million signing of winger Femi Azeez from Reading – he is proving to be an absolute gem for the Lions.

In the summer of 2024, with Reading in the midst of their financial issues off the pitch, the Royals cashed in on winger Azeez, who joined Millwall for what did appear to be a very reasonable price of £1 million.

Having come through the academy at Watford, Azeez began in non-league with Northwood and Wealdstone, as well as a loan stint at Hanwell Town from the Stones before arriving in Berkshire in 2019.

Azeez edged his way through to the first-team setup at Reading, via a short loan spell with Bracknell Town, before bursting through in the 2022/23 campaign and then forming a part of their 2023/24 team, a team that defied logic and off-field shenanigans to not only survive but finish comfortably in the middle of the League One table.

In that season, Azeez showed immense promise and potential with nine goals and nine assists across all competitions for Ruben Selles’ side, earning himself a move to the Championship.

After a slow start to his time at The Den, albeit with flashes of brilliance, the now 24-year-old has gone on to prove his worth and show that he will likely make Millwall a massive profit in the near future.

A slow start for Femi Azeez at Millwall

In his first season at Millwall, which began under Neil Harris, Femi Azeez struggled to make much of an imprint on the first-team setup in Bermondsey, often beginning as a substitute.

He managed just one start in Millwall’s opening eight games of the season and didn’t complete a full 90 minutes until a 1-1 draw against Oxford United in late-November, a couple of weeks before Harris’ departure.

Injuries disrupted his rhythm in the second-half of the campaign, but eventually finding a spot on the left-hand side of the attack under Alex Neil, began to get more and more flashes of his quality.

Having been a left-footed right-winger for basically the entirety of his time at Reading and then in the opening couple of months at Millwall, Neil opted to try Azeez as more of a touchline winger on the left and, with a goal against Norwich City in a 3-1 win the highlight, there were signs that Azeez would turn the corner.

That switch to the left was temporary, though, but may well have at least helped Azeez find some rhythm with his return to the right-hand side this season coinciding with the former Reading man beginning to really pay back the fee shelled out for him.

Femi Azeez has burst into life at Millwall

There have only been nine games in which Azeez has played and not contributed a goal or an assist in the Championship so far this season and two of those appearances saw him come on in the second-half.

A couple of injuries have acted as slight frustrations, but Azeez has generally found himself to be a key starter for an automatic promotion-chasing side with 15 starts in the 17 games for which he has been fit and available.

He has scored seven goals in those appearances and the quality of his strikes have often been excellent, with his ability to cut inside from the right and shoot with his left leading to now almost inevitable finishes.

In what is a fairly defensive style of football implemented by Neil, Azeez is the chief attacker and therefore also carrying a heavier burden than many other focal points across the division, with chances and goal-scoring opportunities fewer for Millwall and his ability to show his flair more limited than elsewhere.

He has become an absolutely essential part of an impressively organised and disciplined Millwall side, currently being both the top scorer for the Lions and the man to have created the most big chances (9), according to FotMob, yet matching that efficiency and effectiveness with a bit of flair, too, with no Millwall player having completed more successful dribbles thus far.

His effectiveness in the final third with those statistics is also matched by his trickiness and exciting wing play, with the second most successful dribbles per 90 of any Millwall player. Azeez has also shown an industry and work ethic to go with his talent, with his pressing seeing Millwall win the ball in the final third 1.1 times per game – which is the most of any Millwall player.