Alex Neil makes Stoke City transfer point as he sets out Millwall ambitions
Alex Neil hinted to the sales of Harry Souttar, Jacob Brown and Joe Bursik as he set out his long-term goals as new Millwall boss.
Neil has been appointed as Neil Harris's successor at the Den, signing what has been reported to be a three-year deal and taking over a team that sits 13th in the Championship - four points and five places above managerless Stoke City - following yesterday's 0-0 draw at Coventry.
It is the 43-year-old's first frontline role in football since leaving Stoke in December last year and although he didn't find the success he wanted at the bet365 Stadium, he points to his record in the transfer market as a taste of what he hopes will be to come at the Den.
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He said: "In my years, whether it be at Norwich or Preston, less so Sunderland but certainly at Stoke, I've always sold players on and made profits for clubs. That's something you've got to have, a sustainable model at Championship level. You're going to have to develop players, you're going to have to move them on.
"People talk about player trading models but every club is a player trading model. If you're good enough at developing players and making them wanted by other teams, there's going to come a point when you have to move them on and it's about how you reinvest that back into the team.
"Your team in general is healthier when you've got more assets in it."
Souttar was just returning from a long-term injury to make a handful appearances under Neil and star at the Qatar World Cup with Australia before a £15 million move to Leicester in early 2023. Bursik had lost his number one spot at Stoke under Neil and joined Club Brugge in a deal needed to stay on the right side of Financial Fair Play rules.
Brown moved to Luton Town the following summer for an undisclosed fee believed to potentially worth £4m while Connor Taylor joined Bristol Rovers for about £300,000 and Neil brought in 19 players to overhaul the squad.
Harris made a shock exit from Millwall earlier this month, having kept them in the Championship last season and nudging around the top half this time around.
Neil does not believe there is much that urgently needs fixing and is not fazed by joining a club mid-way through a campaign.
He said: "I've been into two clubs mid-season. I went into Sunderland mid-season and Norwich mid-season and both ended up with promotion. I'm not suggesting that's going to be where we end up but the point I'm making is that some coaches really need a pre-season to bed in but I'm well versed at taking over teams throughout the season. It's not going to be easy, it'll be a challenge but I'm confident that we can get short-term results and try to pick up a little bit of form between now and the end of the season."
Neil will make his debut against an Oxford team just taken over by Gary Rowett, who had left Millwall last season and also formerly managed Stoke.
"Oxford have started well with Gary over the last two matches," said Neil. "Gary, having been here, I'm sure will add a little bit to the game as well. It's a perfect match, home game and hopefully we can make it a positive one."
