JAPHET Tanganga has joined Millwall until the end of the season in a loan deal from Tottenham.
It is the Lions’ first signing of the January window and the first player brought in under Joe Edwards, who took over as head coach at The Den in November.
Tanganga emerged from the Spurs academy in the 2019/20 season and has made 50 appearances for the first-team.
The 24-year-old left north London for a season-long loan move to German club Augsburg last summer but did not made a single Bundesliga appearance. He has now been recalled in order to seal his loan move to The Den.
“We are really pleased to bring Japhet in,” said Alex Aldridge, Millwall’s Director of Football Operations and Recruitment. “Going into January we felt that centre-back was an area of the squad we would look to strengthen if the right option became available to us and Japhet expressed a strong desire to come to Millwall.
“Japhet is hungry and motivated to play games, he has some excellent attributes as a defender and has played at a very high level with Tottenham Hotspur, so we feel he is a really positive addition and we look forward to working with him.”
The signing represents a coup for the Lions with Tanganga having made appeared in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League over the past few years.
Tanganga has been at Tottenham since the age of 10. He can play across the backline but is most comfortable as a right-sided centre-back or right-back.
Injuries have consistently been an issue over the last few years for the defender, who last started a senior match in February 2023 when Spurs lost 4-1 at Leicester City.
His arrival comes with Millwall suffering absences in defence with Murray Wallace recently returning from a knock while Ryan Leonard and Shaun Hutchinson are set for more weeks on the sidelines with injury.
Tanganga could make his debut against Queens Park Rangers this Saturday if Millwall receive international clearance in time. If they do not, his debut could come a week later at home against Preston North End.
He will wear the number six on the back of his shirt while at The Den.
