Millwall have pocketed £7m and so much more from deal that stemmed from Chelsea | OneFootball

George Saville has been a key figure for Millwall in recent years

Millwall have resided in the Championship ever since winning the League One play-off final in 2017, and largely speaking, the Lions have comfortably dealt with the challenges the second tier has thrown at them.

In fact, following an impressive 2017/18 campaign, the Lions finished just three points below the Championship play-off spots, having spent the previous two seasons in the third tier.

The subsequent 2018/19 season provided the Den side with a different challenge as they avoided relegation back to League One by four points, but since then, the London outfit have been a regular feature in the mid-table area of the second tier standings, while also coming close to the play-offs on some occasions, such as in 2022/23 when they missed out on a top-six spot by a mere point.

One key figure for Millwall in recent years has been central midfielder George Saville, but his journey with the Lions began back in February 2013, when he signed on loan from Premier League side Chelsea.

George Saville is a modern day Millwall hero

Saville initially joined the Lions during the 2012/13 season in which they avoided the drop to League One by just two points, but the Den faithful will still have fond memories of that campaign as their side, then managed by Kenny Jackett, reached the FA Cup semi-finals, a highly admirable feat for any second tier outfit.

However, the midfielder himself did not play a part in the Lions' cup fairytale, and didn't feature during their journey to Wembley, while also making just three Championship appearances.

At the end of the 2012/13 season, Saville would return to Chelsea before spending the subsequent 2013/14 campaign on loan with Brentford, then of League One.

During his time with the Bees, the Northern Irishman made 40 third tier appearances, but it was not enough to convince Chelsea to retain his services, and he joined Wolves on a permanent basis in 2014.

Saville made just seven Wolves appearances before enduring yet another loan spell, this time with Bristol City for the latter half of the 2014/15 season.

The midfielder then re-united with the Lions for a brief 2015/16 loan spell, making 12 League One appearances, before returning to Molineux, where he would see out the season with 19 Championship outings and five league goals.

By 2016/17, Saville had established himself as a regular in the Wolves team, and made 24 appearances during a Championship season in which the West Midlands outfit secured a 15th place finish.

The summer of 2017 witnessed Nuno Espirito Santo's arrival at Molineux, and the former Porto boss was responsible for the arrival of superstar signings such as Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves, but this spelled the end of Saville's Wolves tenure.

The Lions recognised an opportunity to swoop for a player who had served them well during the 2015/16 campaign, and the midfielder's first permanent spell at the Den began.

Saville was clearly delighted to join Millwall on a permanent deal, and thanked the London club for signing him by producing his best ever season to date, as he scored 10 goals in 44 Championship appearances.

This clinical return from the midfielder almost guided them to a second tier play-off spot, but they missed out on the top-six by an agonising three points at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.

But Saville had clearly done enough to impress fellow Championship side Middlesbrough, who have often boasted greater play-off credentials than that of the Lions, and secured his services for a fee of £7m in a loan-to-buy deal in 2018.

George Saville has given the Lions so much more than his £7m transfer sum

The Northern Ireland international had an overall successful time in the North East with Boro, and made over 100 appearances for the Riverside outfit.

During the 2020/21 season, he scored six goals and created four assists as Boro finished 10th in the Championship, just one place and two points above the Lions.

And by the summer of 2021, he made yet another return to the Den for an undisclosed fee, and continues to feature in the second tier for the London outfit.

While the Lions will have been delighted by the £7m they received from Boro for Saville back in 2018, it is his services which have been invaluable to the club, as he has made over 200 appearances, ranging from 2013 to 2024.