Claim made on 'interesting' Macaulay Langstaff situation at Millwall | OneFootball

FLW's Millwall fan pundit doesn't feel that Macaulay Langstaff is the answer, despite netting the winner against Bristol City

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...

It's always a difficult task jumping up from League Two to the Championship, and the last season and a half hasn't been plain sailing for Macaulay Langstaff at Millwall.

However, there have been sparks of quality this season in bursts off the bench that have proven to some Lions fans that the 28-year-old can still be a useful option in the squad.

Langstaff followed up just his second start of the Championship campaign on Boxing Day with a goal off the bench against Bristol City to ensure Millwall ended 2025 with a big win.

That's now two goals for the former Notts County man in league action this season, one more than his debut year with the club and, most importantly, two goals which have ensured Alex Neil's side take all three points.

That being said, Millwall are still one of the worst sides in the Championship when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, and while Langstaff is a useful option, FLW's Lions' fan pundit, Lucas Ball, doesn't believe that he's the answer in the second half of the campaign.

Millwall should still be looking to bring in a new striker in January, according to fan pundit

Evidently, Langstaff still has that goal-scoring instinct about him. After all, he did score 97 goals across three seasons from 2021 to 2024. Since then, though, he's netted just three times in Championship action.

Ball doesn't believe that Langstaff's shown enough in the second tier to be a reliable backup, and consequently, feels his side should be looking to improve the position in January.

"Langstaff's an interesting one. He got a lot of praise after the Boxing Day game against Ipswich Town, but I personally didn't think he was great," the fan pundit said.

"He certainly runs around a lot and likes to put himself about, which is a good trait to have, but, overall, the quality hasn't been there for a long period."

Despite this, Ball believes that the 28-year-old should be kept as a fringe option for the time being, especially while Josh Coburn remains out through a groin injury.

"Given our injury record this season, I wouldn't necessarily be that keen for him to go in January, particularly with Coburn likely to remain out until the middle or end of the month, but I do think that we probably need another option up top," he continued.

"Whether that's someone who can also play out wide to give us some versatility, or an out-and-out centre forward? I'm not too sure, but I'd imagine that it's somewhere that the club are looking to improve.

"We haven't scored enough goals. We're sat in the top six and still have a negative goal difference. So it's clear that we need to add at the top end of the pitch."

Millwall not the right side for Macaulay Langstaff to profit in, according to fan pundit

While Ball does feel that a Championship move may have been a step too far for Langstaff, he also admits that the way Alex Neil's side plays doesn't play to the 28-year-old's strengths.

Unlike in Luke Williams' Notts County side, who created chances and scored goals for fun, it's a little more difficult in the Championship with a Millwall side that doesn't create as much.

"Langstaff's two goals this season have been match-winners, on the opening day away at Norwich City and then against Bristol City, which is good," Ball said.

"But I'm not sure that he's shown enough to be a regular goalscorer at this level, and equally, I don't think that we create too many of the chances that he thrives upon, which is why he mostly features as a sub.

"Mihailo Ivanovic has had a lot of minutes recently, though, so maybe there's an option to get a couple of starts under his belt and maybe get a run of game time, which will help him out. We'll wait and see."

Evidently, Langstaff is well-liked at Millwall, and Ball, along with the rest of the home fans in the Den, want to see him succeed. With him being the only fit backup currently, there's definitely going to be an increased opportunity in the starting eleven over the coming weeks.

Having started just twice this season in league action, this really feels like one final chance for the 28-year-old to prove that he is cut out to be a Championship striker.