Rotherham United: Why Paul Warne is confident Millers will keep hold of family silver during January transfer window

Untold frustrations at waiting for the dominoes to drop and for bigger clubs to do their business before deciding which fringe players to let out for one thing – and often being scared off by agents quoting pretty scary wage demands for another.

Feverishly racing against the clock to bring in new arrivals has also frequently occurred, with the beat-the-deadline signing of Lewis Wing at the start of February, 2020 being a case in point.

It would be right in saying that this particular period of the season is not Warne’s favourite time.

His devout hope this year? That nothing happens whatsoever when the window opens up in just over six weeks time and that his phone remains silent.

With good reason. Rotherham’s pitch for a third successive promotion from League One is currently a strong one. Should they keep all their big players and injuries do not intervene during the run to the end of 2021 and start of the new year, it will be a very convincing one.

Warne, whose third-placed side – unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions – host Cambridge tomorrow, said: “I thought we were lucky in the summer in that with the chairman’s support, we kept the majority of our squad.

“We lost Crooksy (Matt Crooks). Losing one of your best players every year is human nature in the third tier of English football.

“But if I can get through January without losing anyone, great. I have got people in place in my head who we would like if we lost someone. But I don’t actively want to lose anyone.

“I had an agent text me this week – my mate Paolo Vernazza – and he said: ‘What do you want in January, Warney, I am just trying to line everything up.’

“I said: ‘Look mate, I don’t want anything. If I lose something, I will phone you.’ With what I started the season with, if I can get through the season with this group of players, I will be buzzing.

“If I get someone in January, it takes them six weeks to get used to how we train and what we expect. If I can keep the group, I will. I’ve no intention of losing anyone.

“However, how I think the players think and how they think are two different things. There might be one or two who feel they want to get more game-time somewhere else and I’ll have to look at it. I don’t want hostages and people who don’t want to be here.

“I might lose one or two, but I am hopeful that I won’t lose any.”

The signs are that Warne’s hope is not wishful thinking, certainly in regards to keeping the equivalent of the ‘family silver.’

Below the monied clubs with parachute payments in the Championship, many in the second-tier are not exactly awash with cash in the post-Covid world either and it is definitely not a buyers market at the moment.

Granted, Rotherham have major assets in Michael Smith and Chiedozie Ogbene, yet there is no pressure or compulsion to sell.

More especially given the excellent position that the club find themselves in as they chase another swift return to the Championship. Would players want to leave something which has the potential to be special again?

Warne added: “I cannot see us selling anyone in January unless the money is ridiculous. The chairman has never said I have to sell anyone.

“If we get another six months out of Chieo or another 18 months, great. Smudge is in the last year of his contract, but we didn’t sell him in the summer.

“We wanted to keep him and to get what we could out of him. Would I like to sign Chieo on a five-year deal? Of course I would. Realistically, if he keeps taking on teams like Portugal, it makes that more difficult.”

Warne’s comments reference a player in Ogbene whose star is on the rise at international level with the Republic of Ireland following a stellar performance against Portugal in the international break – which also saw him score his second goal for his country against Luxembourg on Sunday.

His feats are likely to have been noticed by clubs higher up the food chain, but while Ogbene’s deal expires in the summer, there is a significant caveat by way of a clause in the Millers’ favour which they can invoke to ensure that the flying winger’s contract is extended by a further 12 months.

On the part of the player, there is also – for the time being at any rate – contentment at club level.

Warne continued: “I am not fearful. I am always concerned that my best players could leave, but I am also aware of the fact that they won’t leave unless we want them to.

“If Chieo came in my office crying his eyes out and said: “Brighton are going to offer me £50,000 a week; you cannot stand in my way’, I would say: ‘If they offer you 50 grand a week, you are a £10million player, so ask them to send a cheque and I will happily spend it’.

“It is only human nature that lads want the best, it is not them being greedy.

“But he (Ogbene) is pretty level-headed, how long his journey will stay with this club I don’t know, but at the moment I have not had any conversations with Chieo.

“He seems more than happy and is playing well and at the moment, that is all I am worried about.