Alex Neil reveals Danny Batth transfer truth at Millwall | OneFootball

The Millwall boss has revealed why the Lions have taken defender Danny Batth on trial.

Millwall will be hopeful of getting into the promotion mix once again after falling short in the play-offs last season.

The Lions, led by Alex Neil, secured a third-placed finish during the 2025-26 campaign, and there was optimism that they would end their Premier League exile after narrowly missing out on a top two place.

But Millwall succumbed to defeat over two legs against Hull City in the semi-final, with the Tigers then going on to seal their place back in the big time with a victory over Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley.

Resigned to a ninth straight season of second tier football, the East London outfit will be looking to make this season the term that they get into the top-flight, with the Lions faithful dealing with the disappointment of not being quite good enough to get there in recent years.

In an attempt to finally break the Premier League door down, Millwall have brought in six new recruits so far during the summer transfer window, with Mathis Servais, Taïryk Arconte, Elkan Baggott, Mark Sykes, Jenson Metcalfe and Kyrell Lisbie all linking up at the Den.

And it now appears Millwall could be bolstering their backline too, with an experienced Championship defender, who has made 363 appearances at this level, on trial with the Lions after becoming a free agent.

Millwall boss Neil has since commented over the speculation about a move developing.

Alex Neil reveals Danny Batth trial and Kamarl Grant plan

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As reported by Southwark News, Millwall boss Alex Neil has revealed that Millwall have taken vastly experienced Championship defender Danny Batth on trial.

35-year-old Batth is a free agent after leaving Derby County this summer and has made a combined 363 appearances across the second tier for the likes of Wolves, Stoke City, Sunderland, Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and most recently the Rams.

Neil also outlined that a reason for taking Batth on a free transfer is to allow 23-year-old defender Kamarl Grant to go out on loan this season.

Neil said: “We just looked at Dan because we’ve got an appetite to try and get Kamarl Grant out on loan, we want him to go and try and play some games.

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“We just need a bit of cover in that position. We wanted to have a look at Dan tonight just to see where we are, and then obviously we can see what we do over the next few days and weeks from there.”

Batth started for the Lions against Bromley in a pre-season friendly recently, with Neil also commenting on his display.

“I thought he was fine,” Neil added. “I thought the game suited him. He’s an old-fashioned centre back. Danny will go and put his head on it. He’s aggressive. He’ll talk. We’ve already got good cover in that position, but we just need to make sure that we don’t leave ourselves short.”

How Millwall fans have reacted to Danny Batth, Kamarl Grant development

Danny Batth, Kamarl Grant agreement makes perfect sense for Millwall

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Adding Danny Batth to the group means Millwall would be well-equipped enough at the heart of the backline to take on the challenges of a 46-game Championship season, with Batth adding competition for the likes of Jake Cooper, Caleb Taylor, Elkan Baggott and Tristan Crama.

While Batth is unlikely to play a starring role at the Den, his second tier knowhow could be crucial at certain points of the season, particularly if Millwall can get themselves into promotion contention once again and need an older head to get them over the line in their quest for a place in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Kamarl Grant will be delighted that Millwall have seen he needs game time and been proactive to get a replacement in so he can head out on loan.

The 23-year-old only made four appearances last season for Millwall, while an ankle injury during the fourth game of his loan spell at Blackpool in January cut his season short, so to get a full term under his belt at League One level could be so beneficial to seeing him get into the Millwall first-team picture over the long-term.