Japhet Tanganga’s loan to Millwall looked to be a great way to revitalise his career, but so far it has been far from it.
If they weren’t previously, Millwall is formally in a fight to avoid relegation from the Championship.
Following their 4-3 loss to Blackburn Rovers at The Den on the last day of the previous season, the Lions narrowly missed out on the play-offs. Since their promotion from League One back in 2017, the team has been a regular in the second tier.
Though they are only four points above the relegation zone, they are anxiously watching their backs as they presently lie in 21st place in the Championship.
Head coach Joe Edwards sought to assemble a team of players who were more than capable of competing at the Championship level as Millwall’s second half of the season appeared to be a survival mission. This was done in an effort to pull the team out of the relegation struggle.
In order to do that, fresh players were required in January. To strengthen the defense, Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga was a huge coup.
Tanganga looked to be a fantastic deal for Millwall
Tanganga, 24, is a center back by trade but is also capable of playing right back. He is under contract with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Tanganga made his debut for Spurs in 2019, showcasing his ability as a speedy and strong center defender and displaying maturity beyond his years.
But his Tottenham career has been steadily deteriorating.
Having played in just four league games for Spurs the previous year, he was loaned to Augsburg in the German Bundesliga for the current campaign.
However, Tanganga was called up from mainland Europe and sent back out on loan for the second half of the season to a somewhat more local location in South Bermondsey after failing to make an appearance after recovering from knee surgery.
A loan move to the Championship for someone of Tanganga’s pedigree, along with working with Joe Edwards once again after working together with England at youth level, looked to be a move that could kick-start Tanganga’s career once again, whilst also helping keep Millwall up.
Tanganga’s loan so far has been disappointing
Tanganga’s loan hasn’t been that successful thus far, though.
He has played for the Lions four times thus far, losing three of them and not winning any. When he has been involved, they have likewise failed to maintain a spotless record.
In the 2-1 away loss to Coventry City on Sunday, he made his final game for Millwall and conceded a penalty following a careless tackle on Haji Wright in the area.
The penalty would ultimately prove costly, as Wright got up to flick the ball home for the spot to tie the game after Romain Esse’s first-half opener.
Wright’s penalty allowed Coventry back into the game, and the American would then score again just three minutes later to give the Sky Blues the victory – whilst that was Matija Sarkic’s poor goalkeeping to let the ball beyond him, Tanganga could have arguably done more to stop the shot given it came on his side.
The Spurs loanee has conceded goals before since joining Millwall. Against Preston North End in late January, for example, his short pass allowed PNE to counterattack, and Brad Potts finished the break to tie the score. Against Hull the following game, he was caught off guard by the Tigers’ intense pressure, and Jaden Philogene scored the game’s first goal moments later after Anass Zaroury intercepted his pass.
Edwards benched him for Millwall’s 4-0 loss to Ipswich Town following his performance against Coventry, which only served to highlight how subpar his performances had been thus far.
Many Millwall supporters have expressed their worries and disappointment with Tanganga’s performances, especially after he gave up the penalty against Coventry.
Tanganga’s defensive stats do not make good reading either.
He ranks in the bottom six per cent for duels won with 47.4%, and ranks in the bottom 12 per cent for aerial duels won, with 52.4%.
| Japhet Tanganga’s Millwall Championship Stats 2023-24 | |||
| Appearances | 4 | ||
| Average Minutes Per Match | 73 | ||
| Goals | 0 | ||
| Assists | 0 | ||
| Touches Per Game | 56.5 | ||
| Pass Success % | 79% | ||
| Clean Sheets | 0 | ||
| Interceptions Per Game | 2.0 | ||
| Tackles Per Game | 1.5 | ||
| Balls Recovered Per Game | 4.3 | ||
| Dribbled Past Per Game | 0.3 | ||
| Total Duels Won Per Game | 4.5 | ||
| Possession Lost Per Game | 12.5 | ||
| Stats Correct As Of February 15, 2024 – As Per Sofascore | |||
What Millwall need right now is solid and reliable players, ones that will not make silly mistakes when it matters most.
So far, unfortunately for Millwall and Tanganga, he is not proving to be one of those players.
