Millwall head coach Joe Edwards has revealed that Japhet Tanganga was flagged up as a January transfer window option by the club’s director of operations and recruitment, Alex Aldridge.
The Lions have signed the Tottenham centre-back, capped by England at multiple junior age groups including U21, on loan for the second half of the season.
Tanganga aborted a loan at Bundesliga club Augsburg to make the switch to the Championship club a possibility.
Edwards told the South London Press: “It was Alex who brought him to my attention that Japh was in a position where he had gone on loan from Spurs and, up until now, it hadn’t quite gone how he wanted – if there was an option he’d be looking to get some games somewhere.
“Alex alerted me to his situation. Normally the process would be if there are players I’ve not seen a lot of then they will show me some footage and I’ll maybe watch some games in further details. But with Japh I was fortunate I didn’t need to – he is someone I know well.
“I’ve worked with him as a youngster in the England set-up a few years ago and we both moved on to senior level, where I faced him as an opponent as well.
“I’ve been very aware of Japh’s progress and what he is as a player from probably about 17 years old.
“Me and Japh first spoke a couple of weeks ago and straight away he gave me the impression he would want to come and play for us at Millwall. We’ve progressed it from there and I’m delighted about it.”
Tanganga has talked about aggression being a key part of his game – with commitment normally ensuring that players settle in well at The Den.
“The two qualities he blends well is that he has got a natural athleticism which is a real key ingredient in the Championship at the moment,” said Edwards. “I’ve noticed it even more in the past couple of months, a lot of the teams that have kicked on have real athleticism – speed and power. Japho has definitely got that.
“As a defender he is the kind that when he walks into the room he isn’t huge – he’s not six feet four – but when he is on the pitch and there are duels – whether aerial, races or tackles – not many will dominant him physically in the Championship.
“And he has got that aggressive nature where he is more than happy to do it. If it becomes a bit of a fight then he will put his foot in, stand up and be counted.
“He is very much that type of player, in terms of his natural attributes. Then you add his upbringing is somewhere like Tottenham – got into their first team – and came through the FA pathway in the England teams – there is a very clear way they have of playing.
“It has always been demanded that he takes responsibility and takes the ball from the back, trys to pass out.
“He knows what I expect and I know what he is capable of. Japh was an U18 player but at the end of 2017 we were both part of the group which went to the Toulon Tournament in France. It was an U20 tournament but Japh was U18 at the time. I worked with him in all the camps and then we went to Toulon and actually won it. So we’ve had some success together.”
Tanganga is available for Millwall’s match at QPR on Saturday, subject to international clearance on his transfer.
But he did not play a minute for Augsburg.
“I’m unsure of how quickly he will get to the point where he starts a game and plays 90 minutes – keeps playing week after week,” said Edwards.
“I know that we definitely have to control our excitement a bit, in that he is not going to start the game at QPR, play the whole game and never look back.
“We are going to have to ease him in here. But because he is fit and hasn’t been injured recently, it is hard to know – Japh is an athletic boy and might get up to speed pretty quickly.
“As the fixtures become a bit more intense there will be times we have to manage him, over the last year or so injuries have slowed his progress a bit. But we have done enough of our homework to know we haven’t taken a huge risk here in a player who has got career-threatening injuries, he’s just had a bit of bad luck.
“There will need to be a little bit of patience in the early stages. But if we didn’t think we’d be able to get him here to make a big enough contribution – and games that he wants – then we wouldn’t have done it. We’re confident about that.”
PICTURES: BRIAN TONKS
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