According to the reports in the Express, Rangers were being linked to Millwall’s fullback Mahlon Romeo. The report specifically added that the Gers could sign the 23-year-old for free in the summer as the right-back is in the final few months of his contract.
However, after some digging, we came to know that Millwall had offered him a new contract in June 2018. Millwall’s official website posted the news and specifically titled it as– ”Romeo pens new long term deal at Millwall”.
Now when the deal is long term, then we don’t think that the defender’s contract would be expiring in the summer of 2019.
On the eve of signing the contract, Romeo had said, ”I’m really pleased to extend my stay and really grateful to be at this club. It took a little while for me to get used to this League (after promotion), but I felt like I went from strength to strength as the season went on and enjoyed the challenge.”
Yesterday, we put out a report and assessed Romeo’s strength and weaknesses and analysed how he would fit in at Rangers. The fact that he was available for free (based on the Express reports that we believed at that time) made him a smart acquisition for the Bears. However, now we feel that the reports from the Express are likely to be dud as Millwall have him under contract for the time being.
Rangers have two decent right backs currently in the form of James Tavernier and Jon Flanagan. Tavernier is also the club captain and is enjoying a fantastic season at Ibrox. The former Newcastle United player has managed 14 goals and a whopping 17 assists this season in all competitions. To go with that, he has already played 47 games this season, and that showcases his athletic prowess as he hardly ever needs a breather.
However, Tavernier has attracted interest from south, and after a season like this, he could be in demand in the summer. Therefore Rangers might look to cash in on him and so it makes sense for the club to look for a new right back.
Romeo is going to be a decent acquisition, but we are not yet clear how long he is contracted at Millwall. We are quite sure that he is contracted at the Den beyond the summer of 2019 as the manager had said this at the signing of the deal, “We’re delighted he’s committed his long-term future to the club and look forward to watching him continue to grow on and off the field.”
The fact that the report and manager’s word both stress on ‘long-term’ means that we don’t really think he was offered a one year deal which would expire in 2019.
