By Will Scott
GEORGE Saville is set to leave Millwall after his contract expires at the end of this month.
The 32-year-old made 49 appearances in all competitions this season as the Lions narrowly missed the play-offs.
Saville was offered a new deal by the club, but the South London understands it was on lower wages, with the midfielder currently one of the highest-paid players in the squad.
The Northern Ireland international is understood to be well-respected by everybody at the club and is one of the leaders of the dressing room, but would likely have featured in a reduced role in the upcoming campaign.
After returning from injury, Billy Mitchell started nine of the twelve games he was fully fit for, while Casper De Norre featured in every single game – meaning Saville often came off the bench in the latter half of the season.
There are also a number of young, promising midfielders who could be set to feature more prominently for the first team this season, including Dan Kelly, Alfie Massey, and Ra’ees Bangura-Williams.
The decision to let Saville leave is an extension of the club’s new transfer strategy – and shows the new reality of how Millwall will operate in the transfer market and when considering contract extensions. Sentimental emotion seems less powerful now than it did before.
Saville ends his Lions career having made 238 appearances and scored seventeen goals for the club across four stints.
He first joined Millwall on loan in February 2013 while at Chelsea, making three appearances for Kenny Jackett’s side as they narrowly avoided relegation.
A loan stint at Brentford followed the next season, before Saville permanently moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2014, reuniting with Jackett. Saville struggled for consistent game time and rejoined the Lions in the 2015-16 campaign on a 28-day emergency loan.
Saville joined Millwall permanently in the summer of 2017, and enjoyed a strong season, scoring ten goals and finishing as the Lions’ joint-top scorer.
The midfielder’s form attracted attention from fellow Championship side Middlesbrough, who signed him on loan with an obligation to buy on transfer deadline day in 2018, with the Lions netting £8million from his sale.
Saville spent three years at Boro before rejoining Millwall in the summer of 2021.
Main image: Millwall FC
