Femi Azeez’s absence opens the door for Millwall’s mercurial sparkplug Aidomo Emakhu to step up

FEMI Azeez has undisputedly been Millwall's most dangerous forward this season.

The 24-year-old winger has taken a serious leap in his second season in the Championship after moving to the right, scoring six goals and assisting a further two (Azeez has been wrongfully not credited for assisting Mihailo Ivanovic's header against Queens Park Rangers) in just thirteen appearances.

That sheer output has fired the Lions to several narrow wins, with his one-on-one finishes often the difference between one and three points.

However, an off-the-ball incident in the frustrating 3-1 loss to Hull City earned him a red card and three-game suspension (Millwall's appeal to reduce the length of the punishment was unsuccessful), ruling him out of a festive period stretch where the Lions are already down to their last legs.

Who will Millwall turn to at right wing in his place?

Camiel Neghli started the season there, cutting inside to let Tristan Crama overlap, although he has been preferred in more central roles recently, even playing as a number six against the Tigers with seven midfielders out injured. Even if Billy Mitchell recovers in time to start, it seems more likely Neghli will move forward and play as a number ten, operating in pockets around the box.

His midfield partner last weekend, Alfie Doughty, was mooted as a player who could feature on the right wing when he signed in July, but again, injuries mean he will likely have to fill in at midfield for the next few games.

Thierno Ballo has played well on the left, meaning Alex Neil will almost certainly turn to Aidomo Emakhu when his side travel to Ewood Park this weekend.

Emakhu is a good replacement for Azeez in terms of like-for-like profile - the Irish winger is quick and direct - and more importantly, is his only real option.

While rotation is to be expected given the fixture congestion in the next two weeks, expect Emakhu to feature prominently at a critical juncture in his Millwall career.

Still just 22 years old, Emakhu has shown so much talent in his three years at the club, but has not always put it together.

He is very adept at beating his man and driving at goal, and he wins plenty of corners through balls into the box and deflected shots, but his numbers have not matched his obvious threat.

His well-taken strike against Hull on the weekend was his first goal in over two years for the club. Since joining in January 2023, Emakhu has six league goal contributions in 66 appearances (21 of which were starts).

As Neil pointed out on the weekend, it is simply not enough.

His goal against the Tigers was a good start - it came from a well-timed run and an accurate strike in the bottom corner, something he is excellent at on the training pitch, but has yet to replicate in games.

Attacking players feed on confidence, and that goal should give him confidence that he can go on and do it again.

Millwall will need him to do so - he has big shoes to fill, but it could be viewed as a chance to kick on rather than a weight on his shoulders.

It was put to Neil by NewsAtDen that Azeez's absence could be an opportunity for the other wingers to stake their claim and carry the goalscoring burden.

"Aidomo has been playing," Neil said. "It's not as if he hasn't had a lot of game time.

"Ballo came on against Southampton, created the winning goal. Ballo then created the chance for Zak Sturge at Bristol City. He then put the cross in for the goal at Derby. I thought Ballo more than merited his start in the last game. Then Aidomo came off the bench as Ballo had done previously, and scored the goal.

"That's what healthy competition looks like. We're going to need all these lads to contribute and be ready to play. Aidomo will certainly come into the reckoning as he has done.

"What we need to bear in mind with Aidomo, and sometimes it gets a little bit lost because we just go game by game by game, this is the most Aidomo ever played for this club. Comfortably. And we're not even halfway through the season yet. He's already done more this year than he's done in all the previous years that he's played."

An examination of Emakhu's minutes reveals just how significant that increase has been.

Emakhu played 663 and 696 league minutes (per Football Reference) in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns, respectively.

This season alone, he has played 919 minutes.

Of course, a key factor has been his fitness. This is his first injury-free campaign in a Millwall shirt, and Neil has spoken about managing his playing time carefully to ensure that remains the case.

He also looks to have a better idea of what to do with the ball when he bursts past a defender, and the goal he scored on Saturday was one Neil had been hoping for.

"His goal the other night was something that I'm sure he'll tell you if you do manage to speak to him, that I'm banging on about all the time - running without the ball," Neil said. "He's so quick, and if he can get an understanding of when to run and where to run, then he'll get more and more chances like that."

Emakhu has the physical tools and attacking intent to take the leap that Azeez took over the summer and start racking up the numbers that match the threat he can exert in a match.