Japhet Tanganga has Premier League suitors.placeholder image
Japhet Tanganga has Premier League suitors. | Getty Images
Sunderland and Wolves could see transfer approaches rejected by a Millwall defender.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man made 40 appearances in the second tier as Millwall came close to securing a play-off place. It had emerged in recent weeks that the 26-year-old had a £1.2 million release clause in his deal that could be activated by Premier League clubs.
Crystal Palace and Leeds United had been named as potential suitors early on but, in the latest from TEAMtalk, it is now Sunderland and Wolves who lead the chase for the player. Tanganga already has Premier League experience thanks to his time at Spurs.
Millwall defender could prefer European switch
However, that report claims that Tanganga could reject a move to the top flight in favour of playing his football on the continent. An unnamed Bundesliga team are said to be interested with clubs in French and Turkey both monitoring a move for a player that Millwall are supposedly ‘resigned to losing’.
A move to Europa might allow Millwall to charge a higher price with the release clause only applicable to Premier League clubs. Either way, it does not look set to be a simple process for the defender to leave The Den.
Tanganga first joined Millwall on loan over the back end of the 2023/24 campaign and impressed, but returned to Spurs following that stay. The defender had seemed keen to work under Ange Postecoglou but eventually left the club to return to Millwall on a permanent deal, signing a long term contract. He was named Player of the Year for the 2024/25 campaign.
Tanganga turns heads in Championship campaign
Giving his thoughts on Tanganga after a particularly eye-catching showing in a win over Leeds United, former Millwall boss Neil Harris said: “That’s why I rung him every day in the summer. I get on brilliantly with Japh. I just promised him rhythm, games, doing the best we can to keep him fit and giving him a platform to enjoy his football, and to re-start and kickstart his career again, because he’s a Premier League player all day long, we all know that.
“He’s had a really tough four years with injuries and disappointing loans, where it hasn’t quite worked for him and he’s not been looked after in the right manner to keep him fit after a couple of long-term injuries. We want him on the pitch every week and he knows his place in the team. I know what he’s excellent at, which is pretty much everything.”
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