2 Millwall FC players who are surely eyeing a 2025 Den escape route | OneFootball

We looked at two players who may be keen to leave Millwall in the January transfer window.

Millwall will be hoping for a much-improved campaign in the Championship this season.

After long-serving manager Gary Rowett surprisingly left the club by mutual consent in October, the Lions were dragged into a relegation battle last season under his successor Joe Edwards.

Edwards was sacked after just over three months in charge in February, and club legend Neil Harris guided Millwall to safety after returning for a second spell as manager, with his side eventually finishing 13th in the table after five consecutive victories at the end of the campaign.

Harris will be hoping to stay clear of any relegation danger this season, and it was a busy summer at The Den as the 47-year-old rebuilt his squad, with 10 new players arriving.

The influx of new additions has strengthened the Lions' squad, but there are some who have fallen down the pecking order this season as a result of the summer business, and we looked at two players who may be keen to leave the club in the January transfer window.

Wes Harding

Defender Wes Harding joined Millwall from Rotherham United last summer, and he enjoyed a decent start to his time at The Den.

Harding was a regular under both Rowett and Edwards, and he scored three goals in 26 appearances for the club prior to Harris' arrival, but he found himself out of favour after the managerial change.

The 27-year-old did not make a single appearance under Harris last season, and he was even left out of the matchday squad for seven of the final 14 games of the campaign.

Harding's fortunes have not improved in the early stages of this season, with Jake Cooper, Japhet Tanganga and Shaun Hutchinson all seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order, and it was claimed on deadline day that he was free to leave the club.

With Harding looking unlikely to receive many minutes over the coming months, he could remain available for transfer in January, and he will surely be keen to depart in search of regular football elsewhere.

Wrexham were one of the clubs said to have been interested in Harding this summer, but with the Red Dragons making a strong start to life in League One, it remains to be seen whether they will still be keen to sign defensive reinforcements when the window opens.

Macaulay Langstaff

Striker Macaulay Langstaff only joined Millwall in the summer from League Two side Notts County for a reported fee of £700,000, but there are already question marks over his future at the club.

Langstaff enjoyed a prolific two-year spell with the Magpies, scoring an impressive 70 goals and providing 10 assists in 96 appearances, and he was the top scorer in the EFL last season, so he certainly earned the opportunity to make the step up to the Championship.

However, Langstaff has struggled to break into the Lions' starting line-up so far this season, and Harris admitted it will take time for him to adapt to life in the second tier.

"Macaulay Langstaff has come from the lower leagues – it is almost like bringing in a young player because he has never played at the level, so we have to be patient as well," Harris told the South London Press last month.

Of course, Harris is right that patience is needed with Langstaff, but he did bring in two more strikers before the end of the transfer window, with Josh Coburn joining on loan from Middlesbrough and Mihailo Ivanovic joining from Vojvodina for a club record fee that is believed to be in excess of £2.5 million.

After scoring on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday last month, Harris stated that Coburn would be an important player for Millwall this season, and given the substantial fee the club paid for him, you would assume that Ivanovic also has a big role to play when he returns from injury.

With further competition for places from the likes of Tom Bradshaw, Duncan Watmore and Aidomo Emakhu, there are serious doubts over how much Langstaff will feature for the Lions, and the 27-year-old may be having second thoughts about his decision to join the club.

Given that Langstaff thrived in a Notts County side that played expansive, attacking football, some suspected that he may not fit into a more direct Millwall team, and while he could find his feet at The Den over the coming months, it would be no surprise to see him make a loan move or even a permanent exit in January.