Rotherham United, who finished the season with just five wins and 27 points, was relegated from the Championship. The team will need to recover quickly.
They have a strong chance of accomplishing that under the direction of new manager Steve Evans. Having been the club’s leader from 2012 to 2015, Evans has an excellent record and was promoted twice while he was a member of the Yorkshire team.
Though it appears on paper to be a very strong renewal next term, life in the third tier won’t be easy. But in recent years, the Millers have continuously demonstrated their abilities to place close to the top of the table while playing in League One. Three times since Evans led them to the Championship following their play-off victory in 2013–14, the team has returned to the third division and been promoted right away each time.
Given how they performed in the Championship this season, there’s obviously not much cause for optimism, although a big management change could lead to improvement.
This summer, they will also need to deal with a pretty big problem, which is replacing their starting custodian. Viktor Johansson, the player of the season for Rotherham, inked a three-year contract with Stoke City on Saturday, and the next man up will have big shoes to fill.
Johansson was their standout performer during the season and one of only a few players who could be proud of their contributions to the team. The Swedish international will be sorely missed in the upcoming season, therefore Evans is undoubtedly already weighing his alternatives.
At least one custodian will be competing for the top job this summer, and the manager might want some healthy rivalry in the preseason.
In light of that, the club may decide to consider any one of these three possibilities to replace Johansson.
Arsenal’s Arthur Okonkwo is scheduled to become a free agent this summer.
Following an exceptional League Two campaign with Wrexham, Okonkwo’s circumstances will be being watched by several clubs. He has a tonne of potential for a 22-year-old and would only give up 30 goals in 36 league games against the new League One team.
He would go on to record an amazing 14 clean sheets during that period, earning himself a berth on the League Two Team of the Season. Despite his impressive performance this season, the custodian was merely on loan from Premier League powerhouse Arsenal to the Red Dragons. Surprisingly, the Gunners will now permit him to join the free agent market.
The custodian will undoubtedly be pursued by Wrexham and a few Championship teams, but an ambitious team like Rotherham might entice the former England youth international to join them because they will have the best custodian in the league.
Joe Wildsmith – County of Derby (Anticipated to become a free agent this summer)
When Derby County issued its list and included Joe Wildsmith’s name, it was a huge surprise. For the bulk of the season, the custodian was the Rams’ best player, with 20 clean sheets and assisting in the team’s progress to the championship.
Although Paul Warne might not believe that Wildsmith is the best custodian in the Championship, there is no doubting his skill as a League One stopper. Given his prior achievements in the league, it would be a safer choice than the other two on the list, but it may also have a little less promise.
Still, Wildsmith might be a nice fit for the Millers because he is a very excellent custodian at the level.
Addai, Corey – Crawley Town
Addai’s next move will mostly rely on whether Crewe Alexandra, who play on Saturday afternoon, gets promoted to the third division or not. In addition to Okonkwo, he has been one of League Two’s most impressive goalkeepers this year, demonstrating his value by leading Scott Lindsey’s overachievers to the play-off final.
Addai is unproven above the fourth level and would take a significant sum to entice Crawley to sell, but he is a player who is now very much on the rise, and the Millers would be acquiring a custodian who may be their best for a number of years.
Addai, who is also excellent with his feet, has all the qualities of a contemporary custodian and ought to be on their short list.
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