ALFIE Doughty revealed signing for Millwall fulfils a long-held ambition to play for his boyhood club.
Doughty, 25, joined the Lions from Luton Town for an undisclosed fee on Monday, July 28, and penned a long-term deal.
The left-sided player spent the past three seasons with the Hatters, helping them secure promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in the 2022-23 season.
Doughty was delighted to sign for a club he has supported since he was a child.
“I’ve always said I wanted to play for the Lions, and the fact that it’s happened sooner than I thought, I think is even better,” Doughty said. “So I’m really happy.
“I’ve come here now for the past twenty years, really, watching the games. So for me, I know what it’s all about to play for the Lions, and I know that it’s going to be week in, week out, proper passion.”
Doughty comes from a family of Millwall fans, who were emotional when he broke the news.
“I rang my dad, and apparently he and my uncle started crying,” Doughty said. “It was a big thing for us, and everyone’s coming down to The Den to watch me and watch the team. We’re chuffed and there’s going to be a lot of people every week.”
His support for Millwall was not the main reason he signed, however.
“I think when you sign for a team, it’s not about who you support, but it’s what you think is the best decision for you personally and your family,” Doughty said. “I think this one just ticked all the boxes.
“Yes, I support them, but it was never the first straw for me. It was the last straw, if anything. I had to make sure. I’m a London boy. My family’s down here, my girlfriend lives down with me now. So do you know what? It just made sense.”
He joins a side who have narrowly missed making the play-offs on the final day in two out of the past three seasons.
The Lions’ late surge into top-six contention in the previous campaign was particularly impressive, with Alex Neil’s side winning seven games in eleven in March and April.
Asked whether Millwall’s excellent late-season form adds pressure heading into the new campaign, Doughty said: “No, not really, because I think it’s happened for the past how many years now.
“It’s about those fine margins now, winning games at home, getting those clean sheets away. I think as long as we tighten that up, we’ll be absolutely fine this year.
“I think with the Championship, all it takes is about three or four wins on the spin or even a draw to push you up to the top of the league. It’s not the easiest league in the world, and I know that from first-hand experience.
“We have to respect all the other teams in the league. Ones that are coming up, ones that are coming down. But I think as long as we’re all together in it and we know what we want at the end of the season, then there’s no reason why we can’t do it.”
“The fact is: we have come close three years on the spin now, I reckon. With Luton, I did it, and I think I’m going to do it again with Millwall.”
Doughty brings Premier League experience to a side that already includes several players who have featured in the top flight, including Massimo Luongo, Steven Benda, and Japhet Tanganga.
Doughty’s sole season in the Premier League was impressive – he recorded eight assists from left wing-back despite Luton getting relegated.
“As a team, we didn’t do what we wanted,” Doughty said. “But for me personally, I think I had a brilliant season, and I want to do the same thing again. I want to find that form again.
“Last year wasn’t the best for me because I was injured, but this year, it’s all about me getting back down to basics, getting those assists, and providing for the team.”
While Doughty was hindered by injuries last season, he was still in fine form when he was on the pitch, leading the Hatters in expected assists and chances despite only starting 25 Championship games.
His creativity from the left-hand spaces fits in well with Millwall’s duo of aerially imposing strikers, Josh Coburn and Mihailo Ivanovic.
“They will rely on me to give them service, and I’ll have to rely on them to finish it, really,” Doughty said. “But as you’ve seen from the past two games I’ve played this pre-season, all I have to do is just find a pass or a cross, or a corner.
“As long as I can find the right areas and the big men on top and even the big men at centre-half, they can head the ball as well. It’s a job that you have to do, and I take that very well.”
On his goals for the season, Doughty said: “Definitely getting as many assists as I can for the big men on top. Just playing my own game really, showing the fans what I’m about and showing how I play.”
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