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…
Millwall fans would have been on cloud nine this summer after former loanee Japhet Tanganga rejoined the club on a permanent transfer.
The Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate left the Premier League side to come back to the Lions, after playing a massive part in the Bermondsey outfit’s turnaround in the second-half of the last campaign.
The 25-year-old featured 18 times under Neil Harris during the Championship run-in, and helped keep a tight ship at the back for his temporary side, as well as popping up with major contributions at the other end of the pitch.
With that in mind, Football League World’s Millwall fan pundit Chris Chapman is delighted to see the defender back at The Den for the long-haul, after the defender tied his future down to the club at the beginning of the month.
Millwall make statement of intent with Japhet Tanganga signing
The fact that Millwall are said to have seen off competition from recently relegated Luton Town (as per the Sky Sports Transfer Centre, 07.06.24, 14:43) for Tanganga’s signature this summer speaks volumes for how mutual the love is between player and club.
Having been on the periphery for much of his time with Spurs, the defender found himself a home and a fanbase that took him under their wing in East London, as he contributed to a strong finish to the season at The Den.
Five straight victories to end the season shows just how strong the Lions were as the campaign came to a close, with Tanganga contributing towards four clean sheets in that spell as his partnership with Jake Cooper continued to evolve.
And with the defensive duo getting the chance to link up again in the season to come, Chapman - who runs the YouTube channel Chat with Chaps - is looking forward to that resilient backline being fielded once again, and he has also praised chairman James Berylson for pushing the boat out with the finances to bring Tanganga back to South Bermondsey.
The Millwall fan told FLW: “I was absolutely ecstatic when he signed, I hadn’t been that excited about a signing for a long time.
“That’s for a couple of reasons, we’ve had a number of good players come on loan to us over the years, and you think there’s a possibility of signing them permanently - like Charlie Cresswell, like Dan Ballard in recent years.
“They’ve gone on to go to other clubs, and frustratingly we’ve had to look on from afar, and I thought it could be the same with Japhet Tanganga.
“But to get him over the line on a permanent deal is fantastic for the club, and to me it just shows the level of investment they’re prepared to spend, particularly on wages as he was on a free.
“In terms of how good he is, he was outstanding for the last 13 games under Neil Harris.
“He took a bit of time to get into his groove, he hadn’t played a lot of football, and he hasn’t in his career, he’s still only started just over 50 games in his professional career.
“But he’s a good age, we’ve tied him down to a long-term contract, and I think between him and Jake Cooper - as long as they can remain fit - we have a really solid backline, which is what any good Millwall team is built upon.
“So I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do together, and I firmly believe he’s going to be a fans’ favourite, so I’m very excited for the signing, and overall I think it’s fair to say the summer transfer business has been very good so far."
Japhet Tanganga contributes to outstanding Millwall defensive record
Having found the back of the net just 45 times in the previous campaign, it was imperative that Millwall kept a tight ship at the other end to stand any chance of staying in the division.
After being reinstated as Lions boss in February, Harris [pictured] made the most of Tanganga’s presence at the back to keep his side in matches during the run-in, as the East Londoners conceded just nine times once their former boss was back in the dugout.
With just 55 goals conceded across the campaign, Millwall had a better defensive record than runners-up Ipswich Town, which goes to show how well drilled the side are in defensive positions.
As well as that, Tanganga contributed to his side’s prowess from set-pieces in the previous campaign, with only three sides scoring more than their 15 from dead ball scenarios.