Millwall made the right call with Championship Club transfer.

•  Millwall made the right decision in allowing goalkeeper George Long to leave for Norwich as Bartosz Bialkowski has proven himself with impressive performances.

•  Bialkowski’s standout performance against Southampton showcased his abilities with six saves and only being beaten in the 93rd minute.

•  Matija Sarkic, who filled the vacancy left by Long’s departure, has also impressed with clean sheets and saving penalties, creating healthy competition with Bialkowski.

Millwall and Norwich City have experienced differing fortunes in the Championship so far this campaign, with the Lions struggling for momentum early on in Joe Edwards’ tenure, meanwhile David Wagner’s Canaries have propelled themselves back into the play-off picture with some positive results.

In the summer transfer window, the Lions allowed goalkeeper George Long to leave on a free transfer and join the Canaries following a two-year spell at the Den in which he made 41 appearances.

Last season he was the Lions’ mainstay between the posts, and he had a fairly impressive record as the former Sheffield United man kept 12 clean sheets and conceded just 37 goals in 36 appearances.

However, during the 2021/22 season, Long failed to make a single Championship appearance as Bartosz Bialkowski was an ever present between the sticks.

And prior to the current campaign, then Lions manager Gary Rowett opted to instill his confidence in Bialkowski, allowing Long to depart the Den and join the Canaries.

Millwall’s decision to let George Long leave for Norwich has proven to be the correct choice

Since joining the Canaries, Long only made 7 appearances from the club’s first 22 fixtures, whereas Bialkowski has continued to impress despite the Lions’ lowly position, and has produced some eye-catching performances.

For example, in the 1-0 defeat to Southampton in early November, the former Ipswich ‘keeper made six saves, and was only beaten in the 93rd minute by late substitute Ryan Fraser.

Bialkowski followed up this performance with a clean-sheet against Sheffield Wednesday as the Lions won 4-0 at Hillsborough courtesy of strikes from Murray Wallace, George Saville, Wes Harding and Brooke Norton-Cuffy.

In 14 Championship starts this campaign, Bialkowski has managed to keep four clean sheets, which is two-thirds of all the clean-sheets the Lions were able to keep in their opening 22 second-tier fixtures.

However, the fortunes of the one-time Poland international took a turn for the worse as he conceded seven goals in three games against Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Sunderland, so was subsequently dropped.

This does not mean that Rowett was wrong to let Long go in the summer though, as the performances of former Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, who has come in for Bialkowski, have been impressive.

Long’s departure paved the way for Sarkic

Long’s exit from the Den over the summer left a vacancy for August signing Sarkic to fill, and although it took a while to initially de-pose Bialkowski from his number-one spot, the Montenegro international has impressed during his time at the Lions so far.

When selected for five Championship games in August and September, Sarkic was able to keep a clean-sheet against Middlesbrough as well as Stoke City.

He has also saved one of the two penalties he has faced this season, which shows his ability in high-pressure situations.

The Lions have kept six clean-sheets in total from their opening 22 fixtures this campaign, with Sarkic responsible for two of them, so there is evidently healthy competition between him and Bialkowski.

Had Long stayed at the Lions in Sarkic’s place, Bialkowski may not have had the same sort of competition, and goalkeeping performances at the club may not have been so strong.