Millwall's young stars not for sale, says CEO Andy Ambler
Thursday 10 December 2015 15:46, UK
Millwall chief executive Andy Ambler says the club are under no pressure to sell any of their talented youngsters in January.
The Lions are seventh in League One and booked their place in the Southern Area final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy with a 2-0 victory over Southend United on Tuesday.
Forward Aiden O'Brien and goalkeeper Jordan Archer, both 22, have been notable performers for Millwall this season, with manager Neil Harris putting his faith in youth as he attempts to secure an immediate return to the Championship.
Their fine form has reportedly not gone unnoticed with newspapers linking Crystal Palace with a move for O'Brien and Southampton supposedly monitoring Archer ahead of the January transfer window.
But Ambler insists Millwall have no intention of letting their rising stars leave The Den, and especially not on the cheap.
"We have financial stability and [owner] John Berylson brings that stability", Ambler told Sky Sports.
"We have a very, very good owner, who has put multi-millions into the club and is also very supportive. We have no debt to anybody, apart from him.
"He puts a lot of his money in equity and, therefore, we are in a position financially where we don't have to take the first offer for any one of our youngsters.
"I think that is really important. So, we have put those players on longer contracts and, if we get Premier League clubs coming in, they are going to have to match our valuation."
O'Brien has scored nine times for Millwall this season and was also rewarded for his superb form in October by being named as the League One Player of the Month.
Archer, a summer signing from Tottenham, has kept nine clean sheet since arriving from White Hart Lane on a permanent basis, having spent three months on loan at Millwall at the end of last season.
Ambler is convinced both players are at the right club to continue their development and believes a move away could endanger their progress.
"I think you can move on too early," he added. "There have been many examples of that over the years of players that move on and don't reach their potential. So we offer them that chance to reach that potential.
So, we have put those players on longer contracts and, if we get Premier League clubs coming in, they are going to have to match our valuation
"Obviously, with the economics of football, there'll be a time when players become better than your club at a certain level. But that's football at all levels. When Tim Cahill left for Everton, it was inevitable that step was going to be made.
"But what we have to do is to protect the value by getting the contracts right, making sure players are happy with what they are doing on a daily basis and we'll move on from there.
"We want success with Aiden and Jordan in the side and let's not forget it's not just Aiden and Jordan, we have got Fred Onyedinma and Ben Thompson.
"We have given them the opportunity and we need them to reach their full potential. But they are only going to do that by playing games, week-in, week-out."
